“What shall I do?” she cried. “It is the Giant. He will kill you and kill me too! What shall I do?”
“Hide me in the oven,” said Jack. There was no fire under it, and Jack lay in the oven and looked out. The Giant came in and scolded his wife, and then he sat down and ate and drank for a long time. Jack thought he never would finish. At last the Giant leaned back in his chair and called out in a loud voice:—
“Bring me my hen!”
His wife brought a beautiful hen and placed it on the table.
“Lay!” roared the Giant, and the hen laid an egg of solid gold.
“Lay another!” And the hen laid another. So it went on. Each time the hen laid a larger egg than before. The Giant played with the hen for some time. Then he sent his wife to bed, but he sat in his chair. Soon he fell asleep, and then Jack crept out of the oven and seized the hen. He ran out of the house and down the road. He kept on till he came to the bean-stalk, and climbed down to his old home.
III. THE GIANT’S MONEY-BAGS
Jack’s mother was very glad to see him. She was afraid that he had come to some ill end. “Not a bit of it, mother,” said he. “Look here!” and he showed her the hen. “Lay!” he said to the hen, and the hen laid an egg of gold.
Jack and his mother now had all they needed, for they had only to tell the hen to lay, and she laid her golden egg. They sold the egg and had money enough. But Jack kept thinking of his father, and he longed to make another trial. He had told his mother about the Giant and his wife, but he had said nothing about the fairy and his father.
His mother begged Jack not to climb the beanstalk again. She said the Giant’s wife would be sure to know him, and he never would come back alive. Jack said nothing, but he put on some other clothes and stained his face and hands another color. Then, one morning, he rose early and climbed the bean-stalk a second time.