The king stopped and spoke to the miller.  The miller, wishing the king to think that he was very rich, told him that he had a daughter who could spin straw into gold.

“Ah,” said the king, “that is indeed a wonderful gift.  To-morrow you must bring your daughter to my castle, that she may spin some gold for me.”

Then the miller was afraid and wished he had not spoken, but he had to do as the king ordered.

The next day he brought his daughter to the castle.

Now it happened that the king loved gold above all things.  So taking the poor girl by the hand, he led her into one of the great rooms of the castle.

There, in the middle of the room, stood a spinning wheel, and near it was a great heap of straw.

The king turned to the miller’s daughter, and said: 

“There is your spinning wheel, and here is the straw.  If you do not spin all of it into gold by morning, your head shall be cut off.”

Then the king left the room and locked the door behind him.

The poor girl could only sit and weep, for she had not the least idea how to spin straw into gold.

While she was crying, the door flew open and a little old man stepped into the room.

He had bandy legs, a long red nose, and wore a tall, peaked cap.  Bowing low to the maiden he said: 

“Good evening, my dear young lady.  Why are you crying?”

“Alas,” said the girl, “the king has ordered me to spin all this straw into gold, and I do not know how.”

Then the little man said, “What will you give me if I will spin it for you?”

“This string of gold beads from my neck,” said the girl.

The little man took the beads, and, sitting down, began to spin.

Whir! whir! went the wheel; round and round it whirled.

Lo, as the maiden looked, she saw the coarse straw turn into beautiful golden threads.

The little man kept so busily at work that soon all the straw was gone, and in its place lay a heap of the finest gold.

The next morning the king unlocked the door.  How his eyes sparkled at the sight of the gold!

These riches made the king even more greedy than before.

He led the maiden to a still larger chamber, which was full of straw.

Turning to the trembling girl, he said, “There is your spinning wheel, and here is the straw.  If you do not spin all of it into gold by morning, your head shall be cut off.”

The maiden’s eyes filled with tears at the sight of that huge heap of straw.  Sitting down, she began to cry.

All at once the door opened and in jumped the little old man.  He took off his pointed cap and said to the miller’s daughter, “What will you give me if I help you again, and spin this straw into gold?”

“This ring from my finger,” said the maiden.

The little man took the ring, and seating himself before the spinning wheel, began to spin.