Clever Grethel
(called Gretel in this version)
There was once a cook named Gretel, who wore
shoes with red heels, and when she walked out with them on, she turned herself this way
and that, was quite happy and thought, you certainly are a pretty girl. And when she came
home she drank, in her gladness of heart, a draught of wine, and as wine excites a desire
to eat, she tasted the best of whatever she was cooking until she was satisfied, and said,
the cook must know what the food is like. It came to pass that the master one day said to
her, Gretel, there is a guest coming this evening. Prepare me two fowls very daintily. I
will see to it, master, answered Gretel. She killed two fowls, scalded them, plucked them,
put them on the spit, and towards evening set them before the fire, that they might roast.
The fowls began to turn brown, and were nearly ready, but the guest had not yet arrived.
Then Gretel called out to her master, if the guest does not come, I must take the fowls
away from the fire, but it will be a sin and a shame if they are not eaten the moment they
are at their juiciest. The master said, I will run myself, and fetch the guest. When the
master had turned his back, Gretel laid the spit with the fowls on one side, and thought,
standing so long by the fire there, makes one sweat and thirsty. Who knows when they will
come. 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 must 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. They are perhaps not coming at all, and have turned in somewhere. Then
she said, well, Gretel, enjoy yourself, one fowl has been cut into, take another drink,
and eat it up entirely. When it is eaten you will have some peace, why should God's good
gifts be spoilt. So she ran into the cellar again, took an enormous drink and ate up the
one chicken in great glee. When one of the chickens was swallowed down, and still her
master did not come, Gretel looked at the other and said, where one is, the other should
be likewise, the two go together. What's right for the one is right for the other. I think
if I were to take another draught it would do me no harm. So she took another hearty
drink, and let the second chicken follow the first. While she was making the most of it,
her master came and cried, hurry up, Gretel, the guest is coming directly after me. Yes,
sir, I will soon serve up, answered Gretel. Meantime the master looked to see that the
table was properly laid, and took the great knife, wherewith he was going to carve the
chickens, and sharpened it on the steps. Presently the guest came, and knocked politely
and courteously at the house-door. Gretel ran, and looked to see who was there, and when
she saw the guest, she put her finger to her lips and said, hush. Hush. Go away as quickly
as you can, if my master catches you it will be the worse for you. He certainly did ask
you to supper, but his intention is to cut off your two ears. Just listen how he is
sharpening the knife for it. The guest heard the sharpening, and hurried down the steps
again as fast as he could. Gretel was not idle. She ran screaming to her master, and
cried, you have invited a fine guest. Why, Gretel, what do you mean by that. Yes, said
she, he has taken the chickens which I was just going to serve up, off the dish, and has
run away with them. That's a nice trick, said her master, and lamented the fine chickens.
If he had but left me one, so that something remained for me to eat. He called to him to
stop, but the guest pretended not to hear. Then he ran after him with the knife still in
his hand, crying, just one, just one, meaning that the guest should leave him just one
chicken, and not take both. The guest, however, thought no otherwise than that he was to
give up one of his ears, and ran as if fire were burning under him, in order to take them
both home with him.
--The End-- |
