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.

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。