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HERE was once upon a time a poor miller who had a very beautiful daughter. Now it happened one day that he had an audience with the King, and in order to appear a person of some importance he told him that he had a daughter who could spin straw into gold. ‘Now that’s a talent worth having,’ said the King to the miller; ‘if your daughter is as clever as you say, bring her to my palace to-morrow, and I’ll put her to the test.’ When the girl was brought to him he led her into a room full of straw, gave her a spinning-wheel and spindle, and said: ‘Now set to work and spin all night till early dawn, and if by that time you haven’t spun the straw into gold you shall die.’ Then he closed the door behind him and left her alone inside.

So the poor miller’s daughter sat down, and didn’t know what in the world she was to do. She hadn’t the least idea of how to spin straw into gold, and became at last so miserable that she began to cry. Suddenly the door opened, and in stepped a tiny little man and said: ‘Good-evening, Miss Miller-maid; why are you crying so bitterly?’ ‘Oh!’ answered the girl, ‘I have to spin straw into gold, and haven’t a notion how it’s done.’ ‘What will you give me if I spin it for you?’ asked the manikin. ‘My necklace,’ replied the girl. The little man took the necklace, sat himself down at the wheel, and whir, whir, whir, the wheel went round three times, and the bobbin was full. Then he put on another, and whir, whir, whir, the wheel went round three times, and the second too was full; and so it went on till the morning, when all the straw was spun away, and all the bobbins were full of gold. As soon as the sun rose the King came, and when he perceived the gold he was astonished and delighted, but his heart only lusted more than ever after the precious metal. He had the miller’s daughter put into another room full of straw, much bigger than the first, and bade her, if she valued her life, spin it all into gold before the following