The cat had scarcely finished speaking when the witch returned to
see if the children had fulfilled their tasks.
'Well, you have done well enough for to-day,' she grumbled; 'but
to-morrow you'll have something more difficult to do, and if you
don't do it well, you pampered brats, straight into the oven you
go.'
Half-dead with fright, and trembling in every limb, the poor
children lay down to sleep on a heap of straw in the corner of
the hut; but they dared not close their eyes, and scarcely
ventured to breathe. In the morning the witch gave the girl two
pieces of linen to weave before night, and the boy a pile of wood
to cut into chips. Then the witch left them to their tasks, and
went out into the wood. As soon as she had gone out of sight the
children took the comb and the handkerchief, and, taking one
another by the hand, they started and ran, and ran, and ran. And
first they met the watch-dog, who was going to leap on them and
tear them to pieces; but they threw the remains of their bread to
him, and he ate them and wagged his tail. Then they were
hindered by the birch-trees, whose branches almost put their eyes
out.
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