o sit by the well and spin; and in order to
make her spindle bloody she put her hand into the thorn hedge. Then she
threw the spindle into the well, and jumped in herself. She found
herself, like her sister, in the beautiful meadow, and followed the same
path, and when she came to the baker's oven, the bread cried out,

"Oh, take me out, take me out, or I shall burn; I am quite done
already!"

But the lazy-bones answered,

"I have no desire to black my hands," and went on farther. Soon she came
to the apple-tree, who called out,

"Oh, shake me, shake me, we apples are all of us ripe!"

But she answered,

"That is all very fine; suppose one of you should fall on my head," and
went on farther. When she came to Mother Hulda's house she did not feel
afraid, as she knew beforehand of her great teeth, and entered into her
service at once. The first day she put her hand well to the work, and
was industrious, and did everything Mother Hulda bade her, because of
the gold she expected; but the second day she began to be idle, and the
third day still more so, so that she would not get up in the morning.
Neither did she make Mother Hulda's bed as it ought to have been made,
and did not shake it for the feathers to fly about. So that Mother Hulda
soon grew tired of her, and gave her warning, at which the lazy thing
was well pleased, and thought that now the shower of gold was coming;
so Mother Hulda led her to the door, and as she stood in the doorway,
instead of the shower of gold a great kettle full of pitch was emptied
over her.

"That is the reward for your service," said Mother Hulda, and shut the
door. So the lazy girl came home all covered with pitch, and the cock on
the top of the well seeing her, cried,

"Cock-a-doodle doo!
Our dirty girl has come home too!"

And the pitch remained sticking to her fast, and never, as long as she
lived, could it be got off.

LITTLE RED CAP

THERE was once a sweet little maid, much beloved by everybody, but most
of all by her grandmother, who never knew how to make enough of her.
Once she sent her a little cap of red velvet, and as it was very
becoming to her, and she never wore anything else, people called her
Little Red-cap. One day her mother said to her,

"Come, Little Red-cap, here are some cakes and a flask of wine for you
to take to grandmother; she is weak and ill, and they will do her good.
Make haste and start before it grows hot, and walk properly an