d giant!

But Molly Whuppie, the youngest of the three girls, was not only bold,
she was clever. So when she was in bed, instead of going to sleep like
the others, she lay awake and thought, and thought, and thought; until
at last she up ever so softly, took off her own and her sisters' straw
chains, put them round the neck of the ogre's daughters, and placed
their gold chains round her own and her sisters' necks.

And even then she did not go to sleep, but lay still and waited to see
if she was wise; and she was! For in the very middle of the night, when
everybody else was dead asleep and it was pitch dark, in comes the
giant, all stealthy, feels for the straw chains, twists them tight round
the wearers' necks, half strangles his daughters, drags them on to the
floor, and beats them till they were quite dead; so, all stealthy and
satisfied, goes back to his own bed, thinking he had been very clever.

But he was no match, you see, for Molly Whuppie; for she at once roused
her sisters, bade them be quiet, and follow her. Then she slipped out of
the giant's house and ran, and ran, and ran until the dawn broke and
they found themselves before another great house. It was surrounded by a
wide deep moat, which was spanned by a drawbridge. But the drawbridge
was up. However, beside it hung a Single-Hair rope over which any one
very light-footed could cross.

Now Molly's sisters were feared to try it; besides, they said that for
aught they knew the house might be another giant's house, and they had
best keep away.

"Taste and try," says Molly Whuppie, laughing, and was over the Bridge
of a Single Hair before you could say knife. And, after all, it was not
a giant's house but a King's castle. Now it so happened that the very
giant whom Molly had tricked was the terror of the whole country-side,
and it was to gain safety from him that the drawbridge was kept up, and
the Bridge of a Single Hair had been made. So when the sentry heard
Molly Whuppie's tale, he took her to the King and said:

"My lord! Here is a girlie who has tricked the giant!"

Then the King when he had heard the story said, "You are a clever girl,
Molly Whuppie, and you managed very well; but if you could manage still
better and steal the giant's sword, in which part of his strength lies,
I will give your eldest sister in marriage to my eldest son."

Well! Molly Whuppie thought this would be a very good downsitting for
her sister, so she said she would tr