FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110  
111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   >>   >|  
d talk very nicely to them. "You are lovely children! Don't give yourselves such airs. I am Rosina Dainty-Mouth and just love little children like you," but she didn't say how she preferred them--broiled or stewed. Nevertheless, Haensel had his doubts about her, in spite of her affectionate pretensions. Come, little mousey, Come into my housey! Come with me, my precious, I'll give you sweets, delicious! This extraordinary old lady cried, naming things that made the children's mouths water. But there was Haensel's caution! He was not to be caught napping after sunrise. Gretel, however, recalled the flavour of the eave-spout which she had lately tasted and could not help showing a certain amount of interest. "Just what shall I get if I go into your housey?" she inquired; but before the old creature could reply, Haensel had pulled Gretel's petticoat. "Have a care! Do not take anything from her that you can help. She is meaning to fatten us and cook us,"--which was the exact truth. At that moment, Haensel got clear of the rope which had been about his neck and ran to Gretel, but the old witch pointed at them a stick which had been hanging at her girdle, and instantly they found themselves spellbound. She repeated this blood-curdling rhyme, and there they stood, quite helpless: Hocus pocus, witches' charm! Move not as you fear my arm. Back or forward, do not try, Fixed you are, by the evil eye! And "fixed" they were. Now, right in the middle of the forenoon, it began to grow horribly dark, and as it darkened, the little knob on the end of her stick began to glow brilliantly, and as Haensel watched it, fascinated, the witch gradually led him, by the stick's charm, into the stable, and fastened him in. Then the knob of the stick gradually ceased to glow, and Gretel was still standing there. "Now while I feed Haensel up till he is plump as a partridge, you stand where you are," said the witch, and into the house she went. Gretel stood horrified, and Haensel whispered to her: "Don't speak loud, and be very watchful, Gretelkin. Pretend to do everything the witch commands, yet be very watchful. There she comes again"; and so she did, with a basket full of raisins and other things for him to eat. She stuck good things into his mouth, as if she were fattening a Strasburg goose, and after that she disenchanted Gretel with a juniper branch. "Now, then, you go and set th
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   99   100   101   102   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110  
111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Haensel

 

Gretel

 

children

 
things
 
watchful
 

gradually

 
housey
 

lovely

 

horribly

 

darkened


watched
 

ceased

 

standing

 

fastened

 

stable

 
fascinated
 

nicely

 

brilliantly

 

forenoon

 
forward

Rosina

 
witches
 

Dainty

 

middle

 

raisins

 

basket

 

branch

 
juniper
 

disenchanted

 

fattening


Strasburg

 

partridge

 

horrified

 

Pretend

 

commands

 

Gretelkin

 

whispered

 

doubts

 

Nevertheless

 

showing


stewed

 

tasted

 

recalled

 

flavour

 

amount

 

broiled

 
inquired
 

interest

 

precious

 

mouths