But this time he knew better than to ask for his breakfast; for the ogre’s wife would be sure to recognise him.  So he just hid in some bushes beside the great white house, till he saw her in the scullery, and then he slipped out and hid himself in the copper; for he knew she would be sure to look in the oven first thing.

And by and by he heard—­

Thump!  THUMP!  THUMP!

And peeping through a crack in the copper-lid, he could see the ogre stalk in with three huge oxen strung at his belt.  But this time, no sooner had the ogre got into the house than he began shouting: 

“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.”

For, see you, the copper-lid didn’t fit tight like the oven door, and ogres have noses like a dog’s for scent.

“Well, I declare, so do I!” exclaimed the ogre’s wife.  “It will be that horrid boy who stole the bag of gold and the hen.  If so, he’s hid in the oven!”

But when she opened the door, lo and behold!  Jack wasn’t there!  Only some joints of meat roasting and sizzling away.  Then she laughed and said, “You and me be fools for sure.  Why, it’s the boy you caught last night as I was getting ready for your breakfast.  Yes, we be fools to take dead meat for live flesh!  So eat your breakfast, there’s a good ogre!”

But the ogre, though he enjoyed roast boy very much, wasn’t satisfied, and every now and then he would burst out with “Fee-fi-fo-fum,” and get up and search the cupboards, keeping Jack in a fever of fear lest he should think of the copper.

But he didn’t.  And when he had finished his breakfast he called out to his wife, “Bring me my magic harp!  I want to be amused.”

So she brought out a little harp and put it on the table.  And the ogre leant back in his chair and said lazily: 

“Sing!”

And, lo and behold! the harp began to sing.  If you want to know what it sang about?  Why!  It sang about everything!  And it sang so beautifully that Jack forgot to be frightened, and the ogre forgot to think of “Fee-fi-fo-fum,” and fell asleep and

did
NOT
SNORE.

Then Jack stole out of the copper like a mouse and crept hands and knees to the table, raised himself up ever so softly and laid hold of the magic harp; for he was determined to have it.

But, no sooner had he touched it, than it cried out quite loud, “Master!  Master!” So the ogre woke, saw Jack making off, and rushed after him.

My goodness, it was a race!  Jack was nimble, but the ogre’s stride was twice as long.  So, though Jack turned, and twisted, and doubled like a hare, yet at last, when he got to the beanstalk, the ogre was not a dozen yards behind him.  There wasn’t time to think, so Jack just flung himself on to the stalk and began to go down as fast as he could, while the harp kept calling, “Master!