th it. But the harp was a fairy harp,
and it called out loudly: "Master, master, master;" and, although the
ogre was snoring so noisily that it was like the sound of a hundred
dragons roaring at once, yet to Jack's dismay and horror he heard the
voice of his harp, and, starting to his feet with a bellow of anger,
rushed after the daring thief.

Jack ran faster than he had ever run in his life before--still carrying
the precious harp--while the ogre ran after him, shouting and roaring
and making such a noise that it sounded like a thousand thunder storms
all going at once. If he had not drunk so much wine for supper, the ogre
must very soon have caught Jack; but as it was, the wine had got into
his head, and so he could not run nearly so fast as usual, and Jack
reached the beanstalk just in front of him.

It was a very close shave. Jack slid down the beanstalk at his top
speed, calling at the top of his voice for his mother to fetch him an
axe. The ogre came tumbling down the beanstalk after him; but Jack
seized the axe and chopped the beanstalk off close to the root. Down
came the beanstalk, down came the ogre, and falling headlong into the
garden he was killed on the spot.

After this, Jack quite gave up his lazy, idle ways, and he and his
mother, with the magic hen and the wonderful harp, lived in happiness
and prosperity the rest of their lives.

[Illustration]

DICK WHITTINGTON AND HIS CAT

[Illustration]

In the reign of King Edward the Third there was a poor orphan boy, named
Dick Whittington, living in a country village a long way from London. He
was a sharp little lad, and the stories that he heard of London being
paved with gold made him long to visit that city.

One day, a large wagon and eight horses, with bells at their heads,
drove through the village. Dick thought it must be going to London, so
he asked the driver to let him walk by the side of the wagon. As soon as
the driver heard that poor Dick had neither father nor mother, and saw
by his ragged clothes that he could not be worse off than he was, he
told him he might go if he would; so they set off together.

Dick got safely to London, and was in such a hurry to see the fine
streets paved with gold, that he ran through many of them, thinking
every moment to come to those that were paved with gold; for Dick had
seen a guinea three times in his own little village, and remembered what
a lot of money it brought in change; so he thought h