There was once a girl who was lazy and would not spin, and her mother could not persuade her to it, do what she would. At last the mother became angry and out of patience, and gave her a good beating, so that she cried out loudly. At that moment the Queen was going by; as she heard the crying, she stopped; and, going into the house, she asked the mother why she was beating her daughter, so that every one outside in the street could hear her cries. The woman was ashamed to tell of her daughter's laziness, so she said, "I cannot stop her from spinning; she is for ever at it, and I am poor and cannot furnish her with flax enough." Then the Queen answered, "I like nothing better than the sound of the spinning-wheel, and always feel happy when I hear its humming; let me take your daughter with me to the castle - I have plenty of flax, she shall spin there to her heart's content." The mother was only too glad of the offer, and the Queen took the girl with her. When they reached the castle the Queen showed her three rooms which were filled with the finest flax as full as they could hold. "Now you can spin me this flax," said she, "and when you can show it me all done you shall have my eldest son for bridegroom; you may be poor, but I make nothing of that - your industry is dowry enough." The girl was inwardly terrified, for she could not have spun the flax, even if she were to live to be a hundred years old, and were to sit spinning every day of her life from morning to evening. And when she found herself alone she began to weep, and sat so for three days without putting her hand to it. On the third day the Queen came, and when she saw that nothing had been done of the spinning she was much surprised; but the girl excused herself by saying that she had not been able to begin because of the distress she was in at leaving her home and her mother. The excuse contented the Queen, who said, however, as she went away, "Tomorrow you must begin to work." When the girl found herself alone again she could not tell how to help herself or what to do, and in her perplexity she went and gazed out of the window. There she saw three women passing by, and the first of them had a broad flat foot, the second had a big under-lip that hung down over her chin, and the third had a remarkably broad thumb. They all of them stopped in front of the window, and called out to know what it was that the girl wanted. She told them all her need, and they promised her their help, and said, "Then will you invite us to your wedding, and not be ashamed of us, and call us your cousins, and let us sit at your table; if you will promise this, we will finish off your flax-spinning in a very short time." "With all my heart," answered the girl; "only come in now, and begin at once." Then these same women came in, and she cleared a space in the first room for them to sit and carry on their spinning. The first one drew out the thread and moved the treddle that turned the wheel, the second moistened the thread, the third twisted it, and rapped with her finger on the table, and as often as she rapped a heap of yarn fell to the ground, and it was most beautifully spun. But the girl hid the three spinsters out of the Queen's sight, and only showed her, as often as she came, the heaps of well-spun yarn; and there was no end to the praises she received. When the first room was empty they went on to the second, and then to the third, so that at last all was finished. Then the three women took their leave, saying to the girl, "Do not forget what you have promised, and it will be all the better for you." So when the girl took the Queen and showed her the empty rooms, and the great heaps of yarn, the wedding was at once arranged, and the bridegroom rejoiced that he should have so clever and diligent a wife, and praised her exceedingly. "I have three cousins," said the girl, "and as they have shown me a great deal of kindness, I would not wish to forget them in my good fortune; may I be allowed to invite them to the wedding, and to ask them to sit at the table with us?" The Queen and the bridegroom said at once, "There is no reason against it." So when the feast began in came the three spinsters in strange guise, and the bride said, "Dear cousins, you are welcome." "Oh," said the bridegroom, "how come you to have such dreadfully ugly relations?" And then he went up to the first spinster and said, "How is it that you have such a broad flat foot?" "With treading," answered she, "with treading." Then he went up to the second and said, "How is it that you have such a great hanging lip?" "With licking," answered she, "with licking." Then he asked the third, "How is it that you have such a broad thumb?" "With twisting thread," answered she, "with twisting thread." Then the bridegroom said that from that time forward his beautiful bride should never touch a spinning-wheel. And so she escaped that tiresome flax-spinning. 从前有个女孩，非常懒惰，怎么着都不愿意纺纱。 终于有一天，母亲感到忍无可忍，就打了她一顿，她于是嚎啕大哭起来。 正巧这时王后乘车从门前经过，听见了哭声，吩咐把车停下来，进屋问那位母亲为什么打女儿。 做母亲的怎好意思说自己的女儿如何如何的懒惰，于是就回答说："我叫她不要再纺了，可她就是不听，在纺车上仍然纺个不停。 我穷啊，哪买得起那么多的亚麻呀。 " 王后听了说道："我最爱纺纱。让你的女儿随我进宫去吧，我有的是亚麻，她愿意纺多少就纺多少。" 母亲听了这话，打心眼儿里高兴，满口答应下来，王后便带着女孩走了。 她们到了王宫之后，王后领着女孩上了楼，把三间库房指给她看，只见库房里装满了最好的亚麻。 "喏，你就为我纺这些亚麻吧，"王后说道，"你什么时候纺完了，就嫁给我的长子。" 女孩听了心里一阵惊恐--即使她每天从早纺到晚，纺到她三百岁的时候，也休想把那么多的亚麻纺完。 剩下女孩独自一人时，她就哭了起来。 她就这样哭哭啼啼地坐着，一晃儿三天过去了，还没动手纺纱呢。 第三天，女孩不知如何是好，忧心忡忡地来到窗前。 恰在这时她看见有三个女人走了过来：第一个女人的一个脚板又宽又平；第二个的下嘴唇很长，耷拉到下巴上；而第三个的一只大拇指非常宽大。 这三个女人走到窗下停住了脚，问女孩为什么忧心忡忡，她就向她们诉说了自己的苦恼。 "只要你不嫌我们丢人，"他们对女孩说道，"请我们参加你的婚礼，说我们是你的表姐，并且让我们与你同桌喝喜酒，我们就帮你把这些亚麻纺完。" "我非常乐意。"女孩回答说。 说罢，女孩就让这三个长相奇特的女人进屋来。 她们进来后刚一坐下就开始纺纱。 每次王后来，女孩生怕王后发现，便把那三个纺纱女藏起来，而让王后看已经纺好的纱。 王后看了之后，对她赞不绝口。 库房里所有的亚麻都纺完了，这三个纺织女便跟女孩告别，临行前对她说道："你可千万不要忘记了对我们许下的诺言，这关系到你自己的幸福啊。" 女孩领着王后看了三间空荡荡的库房和堆得像小山似的纱线，王后于是就安排了婚礼。 "我有三位表姐，"女孩说，"她们待我非常好。在我自己幸福如意的时候，怎么也不愿意冷漠了她们。请允许我邀请她们来参加婚礼，并且让她们在婚宴上和我们坐在一起。" 王后和王子欣然同意。 婚礼那天，三个纺纱女果然来了。 她们打扮得怪模怪样的，很令人发笑。 新娘马上迎上去说： "欢迎你们，亲爱的表姐们。" "你的几个表姐怎么长得这么丑？"王子问道。 随后，他转身走到那个大脚板女人身边，问道："您的一只脚怎么会这样大呢？" "踏纺车踏的呗。"她回答道。 新郎又走到第二个女人身旁，问道："您的嘴唇怎么会耷拉着呢？" "舔麻线舔的呗。"她回答说。 然后他问第三个女人："您的大拇指怎么会这样宽呢？" "捻麻线捻的呗。"她回答说。 王子听罢三人的回答，大惊失色，于是就说："我美丽的新娘今后绝不再碰纺车一下。" 就这样，女孩从此再也用不着干纺纱这个讨厌的活儿了。