"Nibble, nibble, little mouse,
Who is nibbling my sweet house?"

The children only ate and sang and laughed.

Suddenly the door of the house flew open. An old witch came out. On her
head she wore a pointed hat, and in her hand she carried a stick.

The candy cottage belonged to the Witch of the Forest.

"Oh, ho!" cried the witch. "You dear children, who led you here? Come
in, and I will give you candies, cakes, apples, and nuts--all that you
wish to eat!"

Hansel and Gretel were frightened. They started to run away, but the old
witch waved her Elder Bush above her head. It cast a spell over the
children. They could not move.

Then the witch put Hansel into a cage. She brought from the cottage a
basket of sugar plums, candies, and nuts. She gave him the sweets to
eat.

"You will soon be fat enough to cook," she muttered. "I will bake the
girl first."

Grasping the little girl's arm, she shook her roughly, saying, "Go into
the house and set the table while I build a fire."

The old witch gathered some wood. As she threw it upon the fire, she