And sure enough, the door of the cottage was flung wide open, and all the little Fairies came running out, knocking each other over in their eagerness to be first at the hill.
In the confusion the good housewife slipped away, and ran as fast as she could to her cottage; and when she was once inside, it did not take her long to bar the door, and turn everything upside down.
She took the band off the spinning-wheel, and twisted the head of the distaff the wrong way. She lifted the pot of fulling-water off the fire, and turned the room topsy-turvy, and threw down the carding-combs.
Scarcely had she done so, when the Fairies returned, and knocked at the door.
“Good housewife! let us in,” they cried.
“The door is shut and bolted, and I will not open it,” answered she.
“Good spinning-wheel, get up and open the door,” they cried.
“How can I,” answered the spinning-wheel, “seeing that my band is undone?”
“Kind distaff, open the door for us,” said they.
“That would I gladly do,” said the distaff, “but I cannot walk, for my head is turned the wrong way.”