` 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 to herself ; and snatching it up she set off on her road home without even going to bid farewell to her mistress . ` See , mother , see what I have brought ! ' cried she , as she entered the cottage holding the casket in both hands . ` Ah ! you have got something very different from that little black box , ' answered the old woman with delight . But the girl was so busy finding a place for it to stand that she took little notice of her mother . ` It will look best here -- no , here , ' she said , setting it first on one piece of furniture and then on another . ` No , after all it is to fine to live in a kitchen , let us place it in the guest chamber . ' So mother and daughter carried it proudly upstairs and put it on a shelf over the fireplace ; then , untying the key from the handle , they opened the box . As before , a bright light leapt out directly the lid was raised , but it did not spring from the lustre of jewels , but from hot flames , which darted along the walls and burnt up the cottage and all that was in it and the mother and daughter as well . As they had done when the stepdaughter came home , the neighbours all hurried to see what was the matter ; but they were too late . Only the hen-house was left standing ; and , in spite of her riches , there the stepdaughter lived happily to the end of her days . The Goldsmith 's Fortune -LSB- From Thorpe 's Yule-Tide Stories . -RSB-
Once upon a time there was a goldsmith who lived XXXXX a certain village where the people were as bad and greedy , and covetous , as they could possibly be ; however , in spite of his surroundings , he was fat and prosperous .
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