There was once a maiden who was pretty, but idle and negligent. When she had to spin flax, she would become so impatient that if there was a little knot, she would pull out a whole heap of it and strew it on the ground.
She had a servant who was industrious. This servant gathered the discarded bits of flax, cleaned them, spun them finely, and had a beautiful gown made for herself.
A young man had wooed the lazy maiden, and their wedding was approaching. On the eve of the wedding, the industrious servant was dancing merrily in her pretty dress. The bride remarked, "Ah, how that girl does jump about, dressed in my odds and ends."
The bridegroom heard this and asked the bride what she meant. She explained that the servant's dress was made from the flax she had thrown away. Upon hearing this, and realizing how idle his bride was and how industrious the poor servant girl was, the bridegroom gave up the lazy maiden and chose the diligent servant as his wife instead.