on the door-step.

"Good morning, mum," says Jack, as bold as brass, "could you be so
good as to give me something to eat?"

"Go away, my boy," said the big, tall woman, "or else my man will eat
you up for breakfast. But aren't you the youngster who came here once
before? Do you know, that very day, my man missed one of his bags of
gold."

"That's strange, mum," says Jack, "I dare say I could tell you
something about that but I'm so hungry I can't speak till I've had
something to eat."

Well the big tall woman was that curious that she took him in and gave
him something to eat. But he had scarcely begun munching it as slowly
as he could when thump! thump! thump! they heard the giant's footstep,
and his wife hid Jack away in the oven.

All happened as it did before. In came the ogre as he did before,
said: "Fee-fi-fo-fum," and had his breakfast off three broiled oxen.
Then he said: "Wife, bring me the hen that lays the golden eggs." So
she brought it, and the ogre said: "Lay," and it laid an egg all of
gold. And then the ogre began to nod his head, and to snore till the
house shook.

Then Jack crept out of the oven on tiptoe and caught hold of the
golden hen, and was off before you could say "Jack Robinson." But this
time the hen gave a cackle which woke the ogre, and just as Jack got
out of the house he heard him calling: "Wife, wife, what have you done