|It was two whole days before he could reach the bean-stalk, for the
bags were very heavy. Then he climbed down with them. But when he came
to his house the door was locked. No one was inside, and he knew not
what to do.
After a while he found an old woman who showed him where his mother was.
She was very sick in another house. The poor thing had been made ill by
Jack’s going away. Now that he had come back, she began to get well, and
soon she was in her own house again.
Jack said no more about the Giant and the bean-stalk. For three years he
lived with his mother. They had money enough, and all seemed well. But
Jack could not forget his father. He sat all day before the bean-stalk.
His mother tried hard to amuse him, and she tried to find out what he
was thinking about. He did not tell her, for he knew all would then go
wrong.
At last he could bear it no longer. He had changed in looks now, and he
changed himself still more. Then, one bright summer morning, very early
in the day, he climbed the bean-stalk once more. The Giant’s wife did
not know him when he came to the door of the house. He had hard work to
make her let him in.
This time he was hidden in the copper boiler.
The Giant again came home, and was in a great rage.
“I smell fresh meat!” he cried. His wife could do nothing with him, and
he began to go about the room. He looked into the oven, and into the
closet, and then he came to the great boiler. Jack felt his heart stop.
He thought now his end had come, surely. But the Giant did not lift the
lid. He sat down by the fire and had his supper.
When supper was over, the Giant told his wife to bring his harp. Jack
peeped out of the copper and saw a most beautiful harp. The Giant placed
it on the table, and said:--
“Play!”
Jack never heard such music as the harp played. No hands touched it. It
played all by itself. He thought he would rather have this harp than the
hen or all the money. By and by the harp played the Giant to sleep. Then
Jack crept out and seized the harp. He was running off with it, when
some one called loudly:--
“Master! Master!”
It was the harp, but Jack would not let it go. The Giant started up, and
saw Jack with the harp running down the road.
“Stop, you rascal!” he shouted. “You stole my hen and my money-bags.
Do you steal my harp? I’ll catch you, and I’ll break every bone in your
body!”
[Illustration: 0070]
“Catch me if you can!” said Jack. He knew he could run faster than the
Giant. Off they went, Jack and the harp, and the Giant after them. Jack
came to the bean-stalk. The harp was all the while playing music, but
now Jack said:--
“Stop!” and the harp stopped playing. He hurried down the bean-stalk
with the harp. There sat his mother, by the cottage, weeping.
“Do not cry, mother,” he said. “Quick, bring me a hatchet! Make haste!”
He knew there was not a minute to spare. The Giant was already coming
down. He was half-way down when Jack took his hatchet and cut the
beanstalk down, close to its roots. Over fell the bean-stalk, and down
came the Giant upon the ground. He was killed on the spot.
[Illustration: 0067]
In a moment the fairy was seen. She told Jack’s mother everything, and
how brave he had been. And that was the end. The beanstalk never grew
again.