Once upon a time there lived a rich family on the Keizersgracht in Amsterdam.

One evening the master of the house took his family out, leaving the servants to care for the mansion. It so happened that the male servant was absent too, so both the maids decided to lock all doors and windows just to be on the safe side. After serving supper, the kitchen maid, called Anna, noticed that the carving knife was a little blunt. That's why she went to the kitchen to sharpen it with the knife sharpener. Once there, after Anna had sharpened the knife, the girls clearly heard male voices coming from the basement. The second girl did not think twice and left the mansion in a hurry. Anna, however, stayed and heard the thieves (who probably had let themselves into the cellar) debating how to enter the mansion. They had discovered a trap door that gave way to the kitchen. They decided to climb through the trapdoor one after another, whereupon the next man was to ask, "Are you there?" If the answer was "Yes," the next would climb in, until all seven of them would be inside. Then the raiding and pillaging could begin.

Anna stood near the trapdoor, as white as a sheet, but determined to use the large, sharp carving knife she had clasped in her hand. As soon as the first robber put his head through the trapdoor, she cut off his head resolutely, then pulled the body through the hatch and put it aside swiftly. When a low voice asked, "Are you there?", she answered "Yes!" in a manly voice.

Thereupon number two followed, and so forth. Number seven, however, thought there was something fishy going on, so he fled. Not long after that, the family returned home. Horrified, they listened to the adventure about the robbers and, with great admiration, they learned about Anna's brave conduct. The master gave Anna a beautiful diamond ring as a reward. He had the heads of the six robbers cut out in stone and had them attached to the façade, so that everyone would remember the maid's loyal and heroic behaviour when passing the mansion.

(Some people say that this is the end of the story, but I know there is a sequel to it, and I will now tell it.)

A few years later, Anna was still serving the same family, who honoured her and held her in high esteem. One day the family hired a new male servant. Soon this servant, called Piet, tried to gain Anna's favours, in which he succeeded. He proposed to her and got her consent. Then he suggested asking for a day off to meet his parents. Anna agreed. They asked the family for permission, and it was decided that the couple could get a full week off. So Anna and her lover left in a gig.

After they had left the city and driven for several hours, Anna asked, "Aren't we there yet?"

An anxious premonition took control of her.

"Not yet, not yet," was the answer.

After she had asked the same question several times, Piet replied, "Are you longing for your death so eagerly?"

Anna stared at him in utter amazement, and he continued, "You have killed my brothers, and now you'll have to pay for it."

Immediately she understood that he must have been the one robber who escaped, since she had already grasped that there were seven thieves, whereas only six came through the hatch. They were driving at lightning speed. At last she saw a large house; this must be the robbers' den and the place where his parents lived. They were keeping an inn, and they secretly killed all the unfortunate travellers who stayed for the night, cowardly robbing them of their money and possessions.

Anna was lifted from the wagon and handed over to Piet's parents, who immediately tied her up and locked her in a chamber. Now she had some time to think things over. Not for a moment had she lost her presence of mind; as she was being tied up, she expanded all of her muscles, so that the ropes were less tight than intended. Above all, she still wore her diamond ring. She had never shown the ring to Piet, and today she had turned the stone inside her hand, so it would not attract any attention. While she was thinking of a way to escape, with her sharp hearing she overheard the villains discussing whether they should kill her tonight or tomorrow. Her fiancé Piet was in favour of killing her that same evening, because he was well aware of her fighting spirit and bravery. Father, mother, and the other robbers preferred the next evening, because they had to attend to other business that night. The screaming of victims that Anna could hear made it perfectly clear to her that she should use every means possible to escape. She succeeded in cutting through the ropes with her diamond. She discovered a small window, which she managed to open far enough to escape. With sheets tied together, she lowered herself into a shallow ditch.

Once free, she ran until she arrived at a farm. Luckily the farmer used to deliver hay to her master every once in a while, and she begged him to hide her and take her to Amsterdam as soon as possible. Since the farmer had just prepared a colossal hay cart to take to Amsterdam the next morning, Anna decided to hide in the hay. She asked the farmer to create some room for her in the middle of the cart, just behind his back. She sat down there in a manner that she could not be lifted with a large pitchfork. Now the farmer went to bed and left early next morning. What Anna had already feared, happened. After riding along the main road for a while, some robbers appeared, dressed as farmers. They demanded that the farmer stop and unload his cargo of hay. The farmer refused, but allowed them to stab into the hay with a large pitchfork three times. If there was really someone hiding in the hay, there would be blood on the pointy ends of the pitchfork, and then he would be willing to unload. Actually, the ignorant appearance of the farmer, as well as his proposal, took away much of their suspicion. Still, they stabbed the hay thrice with all their might, but not a drop of blood was found on the end of the pitchfork. So they let the farmer go, and he kept on driving until they arrived in Amsterdam in the evening.

Anna left her hiding place and returned to the family, who received her with surprise and took care of her with love. At first she was unable to speak, because of her frightful experience but after a while she could tell the whole story. It was decided to be extra cautious now The police were warned, and everybody waited for the things to come. After a week, the servant returned as if nothing were wrong, and he told them that Anna had become ill and had stayed with his parents a while longer. Everyone pretended to believe him; they brought him upstairs and suddenly confronted him with Anna. He was a bit startled, but still remained cool. He was arrested and taken to prison. The robber's den was found and exterminated thanks to Anna's testimony. After that, Anna continued to live with the family in peace.

And that is as far as the story goes ....