ABSTRACT
There lived and dwelt an old man and old woman. And they had two daughters. They called them Masha and Nastenka. Mashenka was her father’s daughter and Nastenka—her mother’s. The evil old woman begrudged her daughter nothing and pampered her, but she forced Mashenka to work from morning until night. Mashenka was pretty, kind, and hard-working. Everyone loved her and assumed there would be a good husband for her. The old woman was envious. And she ordered the old man to take her off into the woods. The old man wept and wept, but there was nothing to be done: how could you get away from such a frightful woman! So he took Mashenka off deep into a wood and left her there, and then he returned home. Masha saw that her father wasn’t there. She got frightened and started crying. She set off to look for the road. She walked and walked and she happened upon a little hut. She began calling to the owner, but no one responded.
