Si-ling looked, and sure enough, the worms were spinning. A long thread
was coming from the mouth of each, and each little worm was winding this
thread around its body.

Si-ling and the emperor stood still and watched the worms. "How
wonderful!" said Si-ling.

The next morning Hoangti and the empress walked under the trees again.
They found some worms still winding thread. Others had already spun
their cocoons and were fast asleep. In a few days all of the worms had
spun cocoons.

"This is indeed a wonderful, wonderful thing!" said Si-ling. "Why, each
worm has a thread on its body long enough to make a house for itself!"

Si-ling thought of this day after day. One morning as she and the
emperor walked under the trees, she said, "I believe I could find a way
to weave those long threads into cloth."

"But how could you unwind the threads?" asked the emperor.

[Illustration: Hoangti and Si-ling walking among the trees]

"I'll find a way," Si-ling said. And she did; but she had to try many,
many times.

She put the cocoons in a hot place, and the little sleepers soon died.
Then the cocoons were thrown into boiling water to make the threads
soft. After that the long threads could be easily unwound.