“And guess what happened next?” “What? What?” the child demanded. “Well, ‘At midday they saw a beautiful snow-white bird sitting on a tree. It sang so beautifully that they stood still to listen to it. When it stopped, it fluttered its wings and flew around them.’” He pantomimed the flight of the bird with a hand. “‘They followed it till they came to a little cottage, on the roof of which it settled itself. When they got quite near, they saw the little house was made of bread.’ Imagine that! ‘And it was roofed with cake.’” “I love cake, Grandfather,” Carrie said quite seriously. He hugged the little girl, laughing. “So I’ve noticed.… ‘The windows were of transparent sugar.’ ‘This will be something for us,’ said Hänsel.’… Do you remember who Hänsel is?” “He’s the little boy.” “Right! And he’s saying: ‘We will have a good meal. I will have a piece of the roof, Gretel.’” “That’s the little girl,” Carrie cried. “It is, indeed.
