med anyone.'

'Nor I,' answered the girl; 'fear nothing.' So she sat down and milked
till the pail was nearly full. Then she drank it all up except a little
drop at the bottom.

'Now throw any that is left over my hoofs, and hang the pail on my horns
again,' said the cow. And the girl did as she was bid, and kissed the
cow on her forehead and went her way.

Many hours had now passed since the girl had fallen down the well, and
the sun was setting.

'Where shall I spend the night?' thought she. And suddenly she saw
before her a gate which she had not noticed before, and a very old woman
leaning against it.

'Good evening,' said the girl politely; and the old woman answered:

'Good evening, my child. Would that everyone was as polite as you. Are
you in search of anything?'

'I am in search of a place,' replied the girl; and the woman smiled and
said:

'Then stop a little while and comb my hair, and you shall tell me all
the things you can do.'

'Willingly, mother,' answered the girl. And she began combing out the
old woman's hair, which was long and white.

Half an hour passed in this way, and then the old woman said:

'As you did not think yourself too good to comb me, I will show you
where you may take service. Be prudent and patient and all will go
well.'

So the girl thanked her, and set out for a farm at a little distance,
where she was engaged to milk the cows and sift the corn.

As soon as it was light next morning the girl got up and went into the
cow-house. 'I'm sure you must be hungry,' said she, patting each in
turn. And then she fetched hay from the barn, and while they were eating
it, she swept out the cow-house, and strewed clean straw upon the floor.
The cows were so pleased with the care she took of them that they stood
quite still while she milked them, and did not play any of the tricks
on her that they had played on other dairymaids who were rough and rude.
And when she had done, and was going to get up from her stool, she found
sitting round her a whole circle of cats, black and white, tabby and
tortoise-shell, who all cried with one voice:

'We are very thirsty, please give us some milk!'

'My poor little pussies,' said she, 'of course you shall have some.' And
she went into the dairy, followed by all the cats, and gave each one a
little red saucerful. But before they drank they all rubbed themselves
against her knees and purred by way of thanks.

The next thing the girl had to do