This time he didn't take nearly so long climbing until he reached the straight, wide, white road, and in a trice he found himself before the tall white house, where on the wide white steps the ogre's wife was standing with the black porridge-pot in her hand. And this time Jack was as bold as brass. "Good-morning, 'm," he said. "I've come to ask you for breakfast, for I had no supper, and I'm as hungry as a hunter." "Go away, bad boy!" replied the ogre's wife. "Last time I gave a boy breakfast my man missed a whole bag of gold. I believe you are the same boy." "Maybe I am, maybe I'm not," said Jack, with a laugh. "I'll tell you true when I've had my breakfast; but not till then." So the ogre's wife, who was dreadfully curious, gave him a big bowl full of porridge; but before he had half finished it he heard the ogre coming-- Thump! THUMP! THUMP! "In with you to the oven," shrieked the ogre's wife. "You shall tell me when he has gone to sleep." This time Jack saw through the steam peep-hole that the ogre had three fat calves strung to his belt. "Better luck to-day, wife!" he cried, and his voice shook the house. "Quick! Roast these trifles for my breakfast! I hope the oven's hot?" And he went to feel the handle of the door, but his wife cried out sharply: "Roast! Why, you'd have to wait hours before they were done! I'll broil them--see how bright the fire is!" "Umph!" growled the ogre. And then he began sniffing and calling out: "_Fee-fi-fo-fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman. Be he alive, or be he dead, I'll grind his bones to make my bread._" "Twaddle!" said the ogre's wife. "It's only the bones of the boy you had last week that I've put into the pig-bucket!" "Umph!" said the ogre harshly; but he ate the broiled calves, and then he said to his wife, "Bring me my hen that lays the magic eggs. I want to see gold." So the ogre's wife brought him a great big black hen with a shiny red comb. She plumped it down on the table and took away the breakfast things. Then the ogre said to the hen, "Lay!" and it promptly laid--what do you think?--a beautiful, shiny, yellow, golden egg! "None so dusty, henny-penny," laughed the ogre. "I shan't have to beg as long as I've got you." Then he said, "Lay!" once more; and, lo and behold! there was another beautiful, shiny, yellow, golden egg! Jack could hardly believe his eyes, and made up his mind that he would have that hen, come what might. So, when the ogre began to doze, he just out like a flash from the oven, seized the hen, and ran for his life! But, you see, he reckoned without his prize; for hens, you know, always cackle when they leave their nests after laying an egg, and this one set up such a scrawing that it woke the ogre.