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Meanwhile, I will run into the cellar, and take a drink.' She ran

down, set a jug, said: 'God bless it for you, Gretel,' and took a

good drink, and thought that wine should flow on, and should not

be interrupted, and took yet another hearty draught.

Then she went and put the fowls down again to the fire, basted

them, and drove the spit merrily round. But as the roast meat

smelt so good, Gretel thought: 'Something might be wrong, it

ought to be tasted!' She touched it with her finger, and said:

'Ah! how good fowls are! It certainly is a sin and a shame that

they are not eaten at the right time!' She ran to the window, to

see if the master was not coming with his guest, but she saw no

one, and went back to the fowls and thought: 'One of the wings is

burning! I had better take it off and eat it.' So she cut it off,

ate it, and enjoyed it, and when she had done, she thought: 'The

other must go down too, or else master will observe that

something is missing.' When the two wings were eaten, she went

and looked for her master, and did not see him. It suddenly

occurred to her: 'Who knows?