When the old people had gone to sleep, he got up, put on his little coat, opened the door, and slipped out. The moon was shining brightly, and the white pebbles round the house shone like newly-minted coins. Hansel stooped down and put as many into his pockets as they would hold.
Then he went back to Grethel, and said: ‘Take comfort, little sister, and go to sleep. God won’t forsake us.’ And then he went to bed again.
When the day broke, before the sun had risen, the Woman came and said: ‘Get up, you lazybones; we are going into the forest to fetch wood.’
Then she gave them each a piece of bread, and said: ‘Here is something for your dinner, but mind you don’t eat it before, for you ’ll get no more.’
Grethel put the bread under her apron, for Hansel had the stones in his pockets. Then they all started for the forest.
When they had gone a little way, Hansel stopped and looked back at the cottage, and he did the same thing again and again.
His Father said: ‘Hansel, what are you stopping to look back at? Take care, and put your best foot foremost.’
‘O Father!’ said Hansel, ‘I am looking at my white cat, it is sitting on the roof, wanting to say good-bye to me.’
‘Little fool! that’s no cat, it’s the morning sun shining on the chimney.’
But Hansel had not been looking at the cat, he had been dropping a pebble on to the ground each time he stopped. When they reached the middle of the forest, their Father said:
‘Now, children, pick up some wood, I want to make a fire to warm you.’
Hansel and Grethel gathered the twigs together and soon made a huge pile. Then the pile was lighted, and when it blazed up, the Woman said: ‘Now lie down by the fire and rest yourselves while we go and cut wood; when we have finished we will come back to fetch you.’
Hansel and Grethel sat by the fire, and when dinner-time came they each ate their little bit of bread, and they thought
