The furious woman s.n.a.t.c.hed a basket from a nail on the wall. She thrust it into Gretel"s hand.
"Off with you both to the wood!" she cried. "And hurry up, too! Pick strawberries for supper! If the basket isn"t full, you"ll get a whipping. Yes, that"s what you"ll get." She shook her fist to make the admonition more impressive.
Scarcely had they gone, however, when the woman, completely exhausted, sat down by the table and began to weep and moan. You see, she was really not an ill-natured woman at all. Poverty had embittered her, and the mere thought that her children might be starving, caused her to lose entire control of her feelings. It had been a long, wearisome, and disappointing day, and now, even at its end, her own irritability had caused another calamity. Angry with herself, the world, and everything, she rested her head on her arms and sobbed herself to sleep.
Do you know the old verse, "It is always darkest just before dawn"? Now, if the mother had been patient only a little longer, all would have been well. But then there would have been no story to tell.
The mother was still sleeping when the father came home. He was singing joyfully, and he awoke her with a kiss.
"See," he cried happily, "my brooms are all sold. There was a festival in the town to-day, and every one must needs be clean. Such a sweeping and a dusting and a cleaning! I drove a roaring trade, I tell you. So, here"s b.u.t.ter and eggs and ham and sausage. And tea, too. Hurry up, good wife, and get supper ready!"
The mother packed away the things. She lighted the fire. She hustled and bustled about. Suddenly the father, missing the children, inquired:
"Where are Haensel and Gretel?" He went to the door to call.
"Don"t call," answered the mother. "They were naughty, and I sent them to the woods in disgrace."
"The woods!" exclaimed the father, and his voice was full of horror.
"It is growing dark," he said, "and my children are in those gloomy woods without stars or moon to guide them! Don"t you know that there is enchantment in those woods? Don"t you know that the Witch walks there?"
His voice sank to a whisper.
"Which witch?" asked the woman, thoroughly alarmed.
"The Crust Witch, the gobbling Witch! She who rides on a broomstick at the midnight hour, when no one is abroad, over hill and vale, over moor and dale!"
"Oh! Oh! Oh! but what does she gobble?"
"Have you never heard? All day long, she stalks around, with a crinching, crunching, munching sound and lures little children with gingerbread sweet. She lures little children, the poor little things, into her oven, all red-hot; then she shuts the lid down, pop, pop!--until they"re done brown."
"Oh, horror!" cried the mother, wringing her hands. "Oh, what shall we do?"
"Go seek them!" said the father.
And in another moment without hats, shawl, anything, they had run out of the hut.
II
The sunset glow lighted the forest. It bathed the stately trees in rose and gold. It shone on the cool carpet of leaves and wild flowers, and played with the garlands of bright-colored vines.
But the purple mist of twilight that hung over the distant fir-colored hill sent gray shadows down. They crept behind the hedges and bushes, warning the birds, the bees, and the flowers that night was drawing nigh.
One lingering ray of sunshine lit the mossy rock upon which Gretel sat.
She was weaving a wreath of wild flowers and singing a little song, while Haensel ran hither and thither, filling his basket with red strawberries.
So, if you have imagined that they were at all unhappy, you see you were quite mistaken. Indeed, they were entirely, wonderfully, breathlessly happy. I doubt if they gave their mother"s scolding a single thought. As for their home, they had quite forgotten all about it, which, for aught I know, may have been part of the enchantment. At any rate, they had never had a better time.
When Haensel"s basket was full, Gretel"s wreath was finished. So they played at being king and queen of the wood, and Gretel wore the wreath, and Haensel knelt in homage before her, presenting her with the basket of berries. Whereupon, as a reward, she gave him some of the ripest ones to taste. Soon tiring of this they went on to another game. A cuckoo called from a tree near by, and they imitated his call, seeking each other behind tall tree trunks. But saddest of all to tell, they ate the strawberries while they played--yes, every single one.
When they attempted to find fresh ones, they discovered that it had grown too dark. There were black shadows under the hedges and bushes now. A gray blanket of clouds was spread over the sky.
Then fear came. For they could not find their way. Gretel saw strange figures glimmering behind the birches. She saw strange faces grinning at her from every mossy tree stump. Now it was Haensel who sought to comfort her. A mist arose and shut them in. Advancing dimly through it, they spied a lantern. Haensel said it was a will-o"-the-wisp. They heard a call. He said it was the echo.
When Gretel began to whimper and cry, Haensel held her fast in his arms.
But the shadows of strange things continued to nod and beckon. One shadow grew and grew and grew. It moved toward them, and both children cowered down in fear. Their eyes never left it.
Suddenly the shadow took shape, and there stood an odd little gray man.
He had a long white beard. He leaned on a staff, and he carried a sack on his back. Strange to say, the moment that the children saw his calm smile and his friendly gestures they were not afraid any more. He came toward them, chanting a quiet song about restful sleep and happy dreams.
Before they knew what he was about, he had sprinkled sand into their tired eyes. Then Haensel and Gretel folded their hands and sleepily whispered their evening prayer. With their arms about each other"s necks they sank slowly into the soft moss and soon were fast asleep.
The little man disappeared as he had come, into the mist. But the mist became roseate. It rolled itself into a fleecy cloud, which mounted higher and higher until it touched the sky. What magic was this? It changed again into a marvelous golden stairway! And down the stairway floated beautiful guardian angels with dazzling wings and golden wands.
They grouped themselves about the sleeping children, at their heads, at their feet, all about them. Waving their golden wands, they sent down showers of wonderful dreams. Oh, such gleaming, glistening, unutterable dreams!
III
Scarcely had the sun peeped over the eastern horizon than the Dew Fairy came fluttering into the woodland. Her wings were tinged with the first blush of dawn and her garments were tipped with rosy light. She carried armfuls of bluebells, and as she flitted lightly about, sweet music rippled on the air. How she smiled when she saw Haensel and Gretel asleep under the tall fir tree!
"Up, ye sleepers! Awake! Awake!" she sang. Then, sprinkling dew from the bluebells into their eyes, she vanished into the sunlit air.
Gretel rubbed her eyes sleepily and raised herself from the moss. Was she still in the beautiful greenwood? Ah, yes, she must be there. For birds were merrily chirping overhead. There were glimpses of bright blue sky between the leaf-laden branches.
"Wake up, lazy bones!" she called to Haensel.
He jumped up with a start, stretched himself, yawned once or twice, looked about. Oh, the wonderful, wonderful forest!
The sun had mounted higher in the sky. The woods were filled with a mellow radiance. The morning mists had cleared away. And, most astonishing of all, on the very hill so lately hidden by dark trees and fleecy clouds, they beheld a most entrancing sight.
A house stood there. But such a house! It was as beautiful--as beautiful,--in short, I am afraid to tell you how undescribably beautiful it was. The walls were of sweetest sugar candy, glistening like diamonds in the sun; the roof was of chocolate cake, all soft and creamy; and the gables were ornamented with raisins, like little eyes.
On one side there was a strange-looking cage; on the other, a huge, strange-looking oven; and both were joined to the house by a fence made of the daintiest gingerbread figures imaginable.
"Oh," cried Haensel, "did you ever see anything so wonderful?"
"No, I never did," answered Gretel. "A princess must live in that."
They stared and stared, while their mouths watered and their fingers itched prodigiously.
Haensel wished to go boldly inside, but the mere thought of doing anything so rash frightened Gretel.
"Well, the angels led us here," reflected Haensel.
"Ye-es, that"s true, they did," conceded Gretel.
"Come on. Let"s just nibble a little bit," tempted Haensel.
And so, hand in hand, they hopped along, like two little mice, toward the magic house. Then they stole cautiously forward on tiptoe, until, at length, they were within reaching distance. Haensel"s hand went out.
He broke off a bit.