once upon a time , in a large forest , there lived an old woman and three maidens . they were all three beautiful , but the youngest was the fairest . their hut was quite hidden by trees , and none saw their beauty but the sun by day , and the moon by night , and the eyes of the stars . the old woman kept the girls hard at work , from morning till night , spinning gold flax into yarn , and when one distaff was empty another was given them , so they had no rest . the thread had to be fine and even , and when done was locked up in a secret chamber by the old woman , who twice or thrice every summer went a journey . before she went she gave out work for each day of her absence , and always returned in the night , so that the girls never saw what she brought back with her , neither would she tell them whence the gold flax came , nor what it was to be used for .
a large forest .
where did the old lady and the three maidens live ?
where did the old lady and the three maidens live ?