The yellow fairy book . dmother heard where they were going, shecried and said: You poor motherless children ! How I pity you; and yet I cando nothing to help you ! Your step-mother is not sending you toher granny, but to a wicked witch who lives in that great gloomywood. Now listen to me, children. You must be civil and kind to 1 From the Russian. THE WITCH 217 everyone, and never say a cross word to anyone, and never toucha crumb belonging to anyone else. Who knows if, after all, helpmay not be sent to you ? And she gave her grandchildren a bottle of milk and a piece ofham and a loaf of brea
The yellow fairy book . dmother heard where they were going, shecried and said: You poor motherless children ! How I pity you; and yet I cando nothing to help you ! Your step-mother is not sending you toher granny, but to a wicked witch who lives in that great gloomywood. Now listen to me, children. You must be civil and kind to 1 From the Russian. THE WITCH 217 everyone, and never say a cross word to anyone, and never toucha crumb belonging to anyone else. Who knows if, after all, helpmay not be sent to you ? And she gave her grandchildren a bottle of milk and a piece ofham and a loaf of bread, and they set out for the great gloomywood. When they reached it they saw in front of them, in thethickest of the trees, a queer little hut, and when they looked intoit, there lay the witch, with her head on the threshold of tlie door,with one foot in one corner and the other in the other corner, andher knees cocked up, almost touching the ceiling. Whos there ? she snarled, in an awful voice, when she saw And they answered civilly, though they were so terrifiedthey hid behind one another, and said : Good-morning, granny; our step-mother lias sent us to waitupon you, and serve you. See that you do it well, then, growled the witch. If I ampleased with you, Ill reward you; hut if I ani not, Ill put you in apan and fry you in the oven—thats what Ill do with you. mypretty dears ! You have been gently reared, but youll find rnywork hard enough. See if you dont. And, so saying, she set the girl down to spin yarn,and she gavethe boy a sieve in which to carry water Iroui the well, ami she her- 218 THE WITCH self went out into the wood. Now, as the girl was sitting at herdistaff, weeping bitterly because she could not spin, she heard thesound of hundreds of little feet, and from every hole and corner inthe hut mice came pattering along the floor, squeaking and saying: Little girl, why are your eyes so red ?If you want help, then give us some bread. And the girl gave the
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectfairyta, bookyear1906
