Grimms' Fairy Tales

Back Forward Menu

be burnt to a cinder; we were baked through long ago,' cried the loaves
as before. But the lazy girl answered, 'Do you think I am going to dirty
my hands for you?' and walked on.

Presently she came to the apple-tree. 'Shake me, shake me, I pray; my
apples, one and all, are ripe,' it cried. But she only answered, 'A nice
thing to ask me to do, one of the apples might fall on my head,' and
passed on.

At last she came to Mother Holle's house, and as she had heard all about
the large teeth from her sister, she was not afraid of them, and engaged
herself without delay to the old woman.

The first day she was very obedient and industrious, and exerted herself
to please Mother Holle, for she thought of the gold she should get in
return. The next day, however, she began to dawdle over her work, and
the third day she was more idle still; then she began to lie in bed in