They walked the whole night long, and by
break of day came once more to their father's
house.
They knocked at the door, and when the woman
opened it, and saw that it was Hansel and Grethel,
she said, ``You naughty children, why have you
slept so long in the forest? we thought you were
never coming back at all!''
The father, however, was glad, for it had cut
him to the heart to leave them behind alone.
Not long after, there was once more a great lack
of food in all parts, and the children heard the
woman saying at night to their father:--
``Everything is eaten again; we have one half-
loaf left, and after that there is an end. The
children must go; we will take them farther into the
wood, so that they will not find their way out again;
there is no other means of saving ourselves!''
The man's heart was heavy, and he thought,
``It would be better to share our last mouthful
with the children.''
The woman, however, would listen to nothing
he had to say, but scolded him. He who says A
must say B, too, and as he had given way the first
time, he had to do so a second time also.
The children were still awake and had heard
the talk. When the old folks were asleep, Hansel
again got up, and wanted to go and pick up
pebbles, but the woman had locked the door, and
he could not get out.
So he comforted his little sister, and said:--
``Do not cry, Grethel; go to sleep quietly, the
good God will help us.
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