Jack was at no loss to discover that he was attending to the account
of a story in which he was the principal actor. He did his best to
persuade the old woman to admit him, but found it a very hard task.
At last she consented, and as she led the way Jack observed that
everything was just as he had found it before. She took him into the
kitchen, and after he had done eating and drinking, she hid him in an
old lumber closet. The giant returned at the usual time, and walked
in so heavily that the house was shaken to the foundation. He seated
himself by the fire, and, soon after, exclaimed—
“Wife, I smell fresh meat.”
The wife replied it was the crows, which had brought a piece of raw
meat and left it on the top of the house.
Whilst supper was preparing, the giant was very ill–tempered and
impatient, frequently lifting up his hand to strike his wife for not
being quick enough, but she was always so fortunate as to elude the
blow. The giant was also continually upbraiding her with the loss of
his wonderful hen.
The giant’s wife, having set supper on the table, went to another
apartment and brought from it a huge pie which she also placed before
him.
When he had ended his plentiful supper and eaten till he was quite
satisfied, he said to his wife—
“I must have something to amuse me, either my bags of money or my harp.”
After a good deal of ill–humour, and after having teased his wife for
some time, he commanded her to bring down his bags of gold and silver.
Jack, as before, peeped out of his hiding place, and presently the wife
brought two bags into the room. They were of a very large size. One
was filled with new guineas, and the other with new shillings. They
were placed before the giant, who began reprimanding his poor wife
most severely for staying so long. She replied, trembling with fear,
that they were so heavy she could scarcely lift them, and concluded by
saying she would never again bring them downstairs, adding that she
had nearly fainted owing to their weight.
This so exasperated the giant that he raised his hand to strike her,
but she escaped and went to bed, leaving him to count over his treasure
by way of amusement.
The giant took his bags, and after turning them over and over to see
they were in the same state he had left them, began to count their
contents. First the bag which contained the silver was emptied, and the
contents placed upon the table. Jack viewed the glittering heaps with
delight, and most heartily wished them in his own possession. The giant
(little thinking he was so narrowly watched) reckoned the silver over
several times, and then, having satisfied himself that all was safe,
put it into the bags again, which he made very secure.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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