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 andthat, was quite happy and thought: «You certainly are a pretty girl!’And when she came home she drank, in her gladness of heart, a draughtof wine, and as wine excites a desire to eat, she tasted the best ofwhatever she was cooking until she was satisfied, and said: «The cookmust know what the food is like.»
It came to pass that the master one day said to her: «Gretel, there isa guest coming this evening; prepare me two fowls very daintily.» «Iwill see to it, master,» answered Gretel. She killed two fowls, scaldedthem, plucked them, put them on the spit, and towards evening set thembefore the fire, that they might roast. The fowls began to turn brown,and were nearly ready, but the guest had not yet arrived. Then Gretelcalled out to her master: «If the guest does not come, I must take thefowls away from the fire, but it will be a sin and a shame if theyare not eaten the moment they are at their juiciest.» The mastersaid: «I will run myself, and fetch the guest.» When the master hadturned his back, Gretel laid the spit with the fowls on one side, andthought: «Standing so long by the fire there, makes one sweat andthirsty; who knows when they will come? Meanwhile, I will run intothe cellar, and take a drink.» She ran down, set a jug, said: «Godbless it for you, Gretel,» and took a good drink, and thought thatwine should flow on, and should not be interrupted, and took yetanother hearty draft.
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