They could not talk of this so secretly but they were overheard by Little Thumb , who made account to get out of this difficulty as well as the former ; but , though he got up very early in the morning to go and pick up some little pebbles , he was disappointed , for he found the house-door double-locked , and was at a stand what to do . When their father had given each of them a piece of bread for their breakfast , Little Thumb fancied he might make use of this instead of the pebbles by throwing it in little bits all along the way they should pass ; and so he put the bread in his pocket . Their father and mother brought them into the thickest and most obscure part of the forest , when , stealing away into a by-path , they there left them . Little Thumb was not very uneasy at it , for he thought he could easily find the way again by means of his bread , which he had scattered all along as he came ; but he was very much surprised when he could not find so much as one crumb ; the birds had come and had eaten it up , every bit . They were now in great affliction , for the farther they went the more they were out of their way , and were more and more bewildered in the forest . Night now came on , and there arose a terribly high wind , which made them dreadfully afraid . They fancied they heard on every side of them the howling of wolves coming to eat them up . They scarce dared to speak or turn their heads . After this , it rained very hard , which wetted them to the skin ; their feet slipped at every step they took , and they fell into the mire , whence they got up in a very dirty pickle ; their hands were quite benumbed . Little Thumb climbed up to the top of a tree , to see if he could discover anything ; and having turned his head about on every side , he saw at last a glimmering light , like that of a candle , but a long way from the forest . He came down , and , when upon the ground , he could see it no more , which grieved him sadly . However , having walked for some time with his brothers toward that side on which he had seen the light , he perceived it again as he came out of the wood . They came at last to the house where this candle was , not without an abundance of fear : for very often they lost sight of it , which happened every time they came into a bottom . They knocked at the door , and a good woman came and opened it ; she asked them what they would have . Little Thumb told her they were poor children who had been lost in the forest , and desired to lodge there for God 's sake . The woman , seeing them so very pretty , began to weep , and said to them : `` Alas ! poor babies ; whither are ye come ? Do ye know that this house belongs to a cruel ogre who eats up little children ? '' `` Ah ! dear madam , '' answered Little Thumb -LRB- who trembled every joint of him , as well as his brothers -RRB- , `` what shall we do ?
To be sure the wolves XXXXX the forest will devour us to-night if you refuse us to lie here ; and so we would rather the gentleman should eat us ; and perhaps he may take pity upon us , especially if you please to beg it of him . ''
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