Once upon a time there was a peasant whose wife died , leaving him with two children -- twins -- a boy and a girl . For some years the poor man lived on alone with the children , caring for them as best he could ; but everything in the house seemed to go wrong without a woman to look after it , and at last he made up his mind to marry again , feeling that a wife would bring peace and order to his household and take care of his motherless children . So he married , and in the following years several children were born to him ; but peace and order did not come to the household . For the step-mother was very cruel to the twins , and beat them , and half-starved them , and constantly drove them out of the house ; for her one idea was to get them out of the way . All day she thought of nothing but how she should get rid of them ; and at last an evil idea came into her head , and she determined to send them out into the great gloomy wood where a wicked witch lived . And so one morning she spoke to them , saying : ` You have been such good children that I am going to send you to visit my granny , who lives in a dear little hut in the wood . You will have to wait upon her and serve her , but you will be well rewarded , for she will give you the best of everything . ' So the children left the house together ; and the little sister , who was very wise for her years , said to the brother : ` We will first go and see our own dear grandmother , and tell her where our step-mother is sending us . ' And when the grandmother heard where they were going , she cried and said : ` You poor motherless children ! How I pity you ; and yet I can do nothing to help you ! Your step-mother is not sending you to her granny , but to a wicked witch who lives in that great gloomy wood . Now listen to me , children . You must be civil and kind to everyone , and never say a cross word to anyone , and never touch a crumb belonging to anyone else . Who knows if , after all , help may not be sent to you ? ' And she gave her grandchildren a bottle of milk and a piece of ham and a loaf of bread , and they set out for the great gloomy wood . When they reached it they saw in front of them , in the thickest of the trees , a queer little hut , and when they looked into it , there lay the witch , with her head on the threshold of the door , with one foot in one corner and the other in the other corner , and her knees cocked up , almost touching the ceiling . ` Who 's there ? ' she snarled , in an awful voice , when she saw the children . And they answered civilly , though they were so terrified that they hid behind one another , and said : ` Good-morning , granny ; our step-mother has sent us to wait upon you , and serve you . ' ` See that you do it well , then , ' growled the witch .
` If I am pleased XXXXX you , I 'll reward you ; but if I am not , I 'll put you in a pan and fry you in the oven -- that 's what I 'll do with you , my pretty dears !
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