When the Ogre arrived, he emptied the sack, and sent the six little
girls and the five little pigs all sprawling on to the floor, saying:
"These will last us some time. Cook the fattest, and put the rest
into the cellar. And whilst you get dinner ready, I will take another
stroll with the bag. Luck seldom comes singly."
When he had gone, the Ogress looked over the children, and picked out
the widow's daughter, saying:
"You look the most good-humoured. And the best-tempered always make
the best eating."
So she set her down on a stool by the fire till the water should boil,
and locked the others up in the cellar.
"Tears won't put the fire out," thought the little maid. So instead of
crying she pulled out the old stocking, and went on with her darning.
When the Ogress came back from the cellar she went up to her and
looked at her work.
"How you darn!" she cried. "Now that's a sort of thing I hate. And the
Ogre does wear such big holes in his stockings, and his feet are so
large, that, though my hand is not a small one, I cannot fill out the
heel with my fist, and then who's to darn it neatly I should like to
know?"
"If I had a basin big enough to fill out the heel, I think I could do
it," said the little maid.
The Ogress scratched her big ear thoughtfully for a minute, and then
she said:
"To lose a chance is to cheat oneself. Why shouldn't this one darn
while the others boil? Yes, I think you shall try.
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