As for the cats , she chased them away , and ill-treated them , so that they had not even the spirit to chase the rats and mice , which nowadays ran about everywhere . And when the sparrows came to beg for some corn , they fared no better than the cows and the cats , for the girl threw her shoes at them , till they flew in a fright to the woods , and took shelter amongst the trees . Months passed in this manner , when , one day , the mistress called the girl to her . ` All that I have given you to do you have done ill , ' said she , ` yet will I give you another chance . For though you can not tend cows , or divide the grain from the chaff , there may be other things that you can do better . Therefore take this sieve to the well , and fill it with water , and see that you bring it back without spilling a drop . ' The girl took the sieve and carried it to the well as her sister had done ; but no little birds came to help her , and after dipping it in the well two or three times she brought it back empty . ' I thought as much , ' said the old woman angrily ; ` she that is useless in one thing is useless in another . ' Perhaps the mistress may have thought that the girl had learnt a lesson , but , if she did , she was quite mistaken , as the work was no better done than before . By-and-by she sent for her again , and gave her maid the black and white yarn to wash in the river ; but there was no one to tell her the secret by which the black would turn white , and the white black ; so she brought them back as they were . This time the old woman only looked at her grimly but the girl was too well pleased with herself to care what anyone thought about her . After some weeks her third trial came , and the yarn was given her to spin , as it had been given to her stepsister before her . But no procession of cats entered the room to weave a web of fine cloth , and at sunset she only brought back to her mistress an armful of dirty , tangled wool . ` There seems nothing in the world you can do , ' said the old woman , and left her to herself . Soon after this the year was up , and the girl went to her mistress to tell her that she wished to go home . ` Little desire have I to keep you , ' answered the old woman , ` for no one thing have you done as you ought . Still , I will give you some payment , therefore go up into the loft , and choose for yourself one of the caskets that lies there . But see that you do not open it till you place it where you wish it to stay . ' This was what the girl had been hoping for , and so rejoiced was she , that , without even stopping to thank the old woman , she ran as fast as she could to the loft . There were the caskets , blue and red , green and yellow , silver and gold ; and there in the corner stood a little black casket just like the one her stepsister had brought home .
` If there are so many jewels in that little black thing , this big red one will hold twice the number , ' she said XXXXX herself ; and snatching it up she set off on her road home without even going to bid farewell to her mistress .
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