The Prince was frightened. He spoke to the third old woman. “And you, why is your thumb so broad, if I may ask it?”
“From pressing and twisting,” she answered. “From pressing and twisting.”
The Prince turned pale. “If this is what comes of spinning,” said he, “never shall my bride touch the flax again.”
And so it was. Never was the girl allowed even to look at a spinning wheel again; and that did not trouble her, as you may guess.
As for the old women, they disappeared as soon as the feast was over, and no one saw them again, but the bride lived happy forever after.
GOLDILOCKS AND THE THREE BEARS
There was once a little girl whose hair was so bright and yellow that it glittered in the sun like spun-gold. For this reason she was called Goldilocks.
One day Goldilocks went out into the meadows to gather flowers. She wandered on and on, and after a while she came to a forest, where she had never been before. She went on into the forest, and it was very cool and shady.