"Up, ye sleepers! Awake! Awake!" she sang. Then, sprinkling dew from the bluebells into their eyes, she vanished into the sunlit air.
Gretel rubbed her eyes sleepily and raised herself from the moss. Was she still in the beautiful greenwood? Ah, yes, she must be there. For birds were merrily chirping overhead. There were glimpses of bright blue sky between the leaf-laden branches.
"Wake up, lazy bones!" she called to Haensel.
He jumped up with a start, stretched himself, yawned once or twice, looked about. Oh, the wonderful, wonderful forest!
The sun had mounted higher in the sky. The woods were filled with a mellow radiance. The morning mists had cleared away. And, most astonishing of all, on the very hill so lately hidden by dark trees and fleecy clouds, they beheld a most entrancing sight.
A house stood there. But such a house! It was as beautiful—as beautiful,—in short, I am afraid to tell you how undescribably beautiful it was. The walls were of sweetest sugar candy, glistening like diamonds in the sun; the roof was of chocolate cake, all soft and creamy; and the gables were ornamented with raisins, like little eyes. On one side there was a strange-looking cage; on the other, a huge, strange-looking oven; and both were joined to the house by a fence made of the daintiest gingerbread figures imaginable.
"Oh," cried Haensel, "did you ever see anything so wonderful?"
"No, I never did," answered Gretel. "A princess must live in that."
They stared and stared, while their mouths watered and their fingers itched prodigiously.
Haensel wished to go boldly inside, but the mere thought of doing anything so rash frightened Gretel.