"With all my heart," answered the girl, "only come in, and begin at once."
Then she admitted the three strange women, and, making a clear space in the first room, they sat themselves down and began spinning.
One drew the thread and trod the wheel, the other moistened the thread, the third pressed it and beat it on the table, and every time she did so, a pile of thread fell on the ground spun in the finest way.
The maiden concealed the three spinners from the Queen, but showed her the heaps of spun yarn whenever she came, and received no end of praise for it.
When the first room was empty, the second was commenced, and when that was finished, the third was begun, and very soon cleared.
Then the three spinners took their leave, saying to the maiden:
"Forget not what thou hast promised us; it will make thy fortune."
When the girl showed the Queen the empty rooms and the great piles of thread, the wedding was announced. The bridegroom rejoiced that he had won so clever and industrious a wife, and he praised her exceedingly.
"I have three aunts," said the maiden, "and as they have done me many kindnesses, I could not forget them in my good fortune; permit me to invite them to our wedding and allow them to sit with me at table."
So the Queen and the bridegroom consented.