The girl's heart sank at this order; for how was it possible for her to
do her mistress's bidding? However, she was silent, and taking the
sieve went down to the well with it. Stopping over the side, she
filled it to the brim, but as soon as she lifted it the water all ran
out of the holes. Again and again she tried, but not a drop would
remaining in the sieve, and she was just turning away in despair when a
flock of sparrows flew down from the sky.

'Ashes! ashes!' they twittered; and the girl looked at them and said:

'Well, I can't be in a worse plight than I am already, so I will take
your advice.' And she ran back to the kitchen and filled her sieve
with ashes. Then once more she dipped the sieve into the well, and,
behold, this time not a drop of water disappeared!

'Here is the sieve, mistress,' cried the girl, going to the room where
the old woman was sitting.

'You are cleverer than I expected,' answered she; 'or else someone
helped you who is skilled in magic.' But the girl kept silence, and
the old woman asked her no more questions.

Many days passed during which the girl went about her work as usual,
but at length one day the old woman called her and said:

'I have something more for you to do. There are here two yarns, the
one white, the other black. What you must do is to wash them in the
river till the black one becomes white and the white black.' And the
girl took them to the river and washed hard for several hours, but wash