sson,
but, if she did, she was quite mistaken, as the work was no better done
than before. By-and-by she sent for her again, and gave her maid the
black and white yarn to wash in the river; but there was no one to tell
her the secret by which the black would turn white, and the white black;
so she brought them back as they were. This time the old woman only
looked at her grimly but the girl was too well pleased with herself to
care what anyone thought about her.

After some weeks her third trial came, and the yarn was given her to
spin, as it had been given to her stepsister before her.

But no procession of cats entered the room to weave a web of fine cloth,
and at sunset she only brought back to her mistress an armful of dirty,
tangled wool.

'There seems nothing in the world you can do,' said the old woman, and
left her to herself.

Soon after this the year was up, and the girl went to her mistress to
tell her that she wished to go home.

'Little desire have I to keep you,' answered the old woman, 'for no one
thing have you done as you ought. Still, I will give you some payment,
therefore go up into the loft, and choose for yourself one of the
caskets that lies there. But see that you do not open it till you place
it where you wish it to stay.'

This was what the girl had been hoping for, and so rejoiced was she,
that, without even stopping to thank the old woman, she ran as fast as
she could to the loft. There were the caskets, blue and red, green and
yellow, silver and gold; and there in the corner stood a little black
casket just like the one her stepsister had brought home.

'If there are so many jewels in that little black thing, this big red
one will hold twice the number,' she said to herself; and snatching it
up she set off on her road home without even going to bid farewell to
her mistress.

'See, mother, see what I have brought!' cried she, as she entered the
cottage holding the casket in both hands.

'Ah! you have got something very different from that little black box,'
answered the old woman with delight. But the girl was so busy finding a
place for it to stand that she took little notice of her mother.

'It will look best here--no, here,' she said, setting it first on one
piece of furniture and then on another. 'No, after all it is to fine to
live in a kitchen, let us place it in the guest chamber.'

So mother and daughter carried it proudly upstairs and put it on a shelf
over the fireplac