content: now one day the old man went out to chop wood in the forest , and the old woman stopped at home to wash clothes . the day before , she had made some starch , and now when she came to look for it , it was all gone ; the bowl which she had filled full yesterday was quite empty . while she was wondering who could have used or stolen the starch , down flew the pet sparrow , and bowing her little feathered head - a trick which she had been taught by her master - the pretty bird chirped and said : " it is i who have taken the starch . i thought it was some food put out for me in that basin , and i ate it all . if i have made a mistake i beg you to forgive me ! tweet , tweet , tweet ! " " i suppose you took my starch with that tongue ! now you may see what it is like to go without it ! " and with these dreadful words she drove the bird away , not caring in the least what might happen to it and without the smallest pity for its suffering , so unkind was she ! the old woman , after she had driven the sparrow away , made some more rice - paste , grumbling all the time at the trouble , and after starching all her clothes , spread the things on boards to dry in the sun , instead of ironing them as they do in england . 
answer: the sparrow ate the starch .
question: why did the woman have to make more rice-paste ?
target: why did the woman have to make more rice-paste ?
references: why did the woman have to make more rice-paste ?