Now Hop-o'-my-thumb was afraid that the Ogre would wake in the night
and kill him and his brothers while they were asleep. So he got out of
bed in the middle of the night as softly as he could, took off all his
brothers' nightcaps and his own, and crept with them to the bed that
the Ogre's daughters were in: he then took off their crowns, and put
the nightcaps on their heads instead: next he put the crowns on his
brothers' heads and his own, and got into bed again; expecting, after
this, that, if the Ogre should come, he would take him and his
brothers for his own children. Everything turned out as he wished. The
Ogre waked soon after midnight, and began to be very sorry that he had
put off killing the boys till the morning: so he jumped out of bed,
and took hold of his large knife. "Let us see," said he, "what the
young rogues are about, and do the business at once!" He then walked
softly to the room where they all slept, and went up to the bed the
boys were in, who were all asleep except Hop-o'-my-thumb. He touched
their heads one at a time, and feeling the crowns of gold, said to
himself, "Oh, oh! I had like to have made such a mistake. I must have
drunk too much wine last night."
He went next to the bed that his own little Ogresses were in, and when
he felt the nightcaps, he said, "Ah! here you are, my lads:" and so in
a moment he cut the throats of all his daughters.
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