stalk he began to descend, and he ran down as
nimbly as might be.

The giant pursued him, and began to follow down
the bean stalk.

Jack, on reaching the bottom, called for a hatchet.
His mother, who saw the danger, immediately
brought one; and Jack with the axe hewed
through the stalks near the root ; consequently the
whole mass with the giant on it fell to the ground,
and the fall broke the neck of the ogre.
Immediately hovering overhead appeared the black
crow. It swooped down and picked three golden
hairs from a mole that was on the end of the
giant’s nose. No sooner was that done, than the
crow was transformed into a lovely fairy.

Jack’s mother was not a little delighted when
she saw the bean stall destroyed, for now Jack
need no longer climb it. He was now allowed by
the fairy to tell the whole story; and he not only
did this, but begged his mother’s pardon for dis-
obedience in past years, and promised to amend.
He kept his promise, and what with the hen that
laid golden eggs, and the bags of bezants and
deniers, and the marvellous harp that played of
its own accord, Jack and his mother no longer
suffered poverty or felt tedium.

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