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 with 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 ! You have been gently reared , but you 'll find my work hard enough . See if you do n't . ' And , so saying , she set the girl down to spin yarn , and she gave the boy a sieve in which to carry water from the well , and she herself went out into the wood . Now , as the girl was sitting at her distaff , weeping bitterly because she could not spin , she heard the sound of hundreds of little feet , and from every hole and corner in the hut mice came pattering along the floor , squeaking and saying : ` Little girl , why are your eyes so red ?
If you want help , then XXXXX us some bread . '
cried find gave give growled help lay sent snarled weeping