Once there was a girl, as there are many to-day, and she was a good
needle-worker, and could make a beautiful cloak in one day. And that
[there] girl loved a gentleman very much; but one day her sweetheart was
shut up in prison, and when she heard it she hastened and went to the
king, and begged him humbly to let her love go free. And the king
promised her if she would make him a fine cloak,--one every day for a
week, seven cloaks for seven days,--he would forgive him, and give him
leave to go free. The young lady hastened to do it, and for six days she
worked hard [lit. pulled away] cheerfully at it, and always in the
evening she sent a cloak to the king. But it came [happened] one day
that she was tired, and said [that] she did not wish to work because it
was rainy, and she could not dry or bleach the cloth [?] in the sunlight.
Then the king said that if she could not work seven days to get her lover
the gentleman must remain imprisoned, for she did not love him as she
should [did not let love enough on him]. And the maid was so angry and
vexed in her heart [or soul] that she died of grief, and was changed into
a spider. And to this day she spreads out her threads when the sun
shines, and the dew-drops which you see on them are the tears which she
has wept for her lover.
If you remain idle one summer day you may lose a whole week's work, my
dear. You say that you would like to hear more stories! All right. I
will tell you a nice story about lazy people. {317b} Remember all I tell
you, as I remembered it from my grandfather.