r it. Now go."

Jack asked where he was to go.

"Along the direct road, till you see the house where the giant lives.
You must then act according to your own just judgment, and I will guide
you if any difficulty arises. Farewell!"

She bestowed on the youth a benignant smile, and vanished.

Jack pursued his journey. He walked on till after sunset, when, to his
great joy, he espied a large mansion. A plain-looking woman was at the
door. He accosted her, begging she would give him a morsel of bread and
a night's lodging. She expressed the greatest surprise, and said it was
quite uncommon to see a human being near their house; for it was well
known that her husband was a powerful giant, who would never eat
anything but human flesh, if he could possibly get it; that he would
walk fifty miles to procure it, usually being out the whole day for that
purpose.

This account greatly terrified Jack, but still he hoped to elude the
giant, and therefore he again entreated the woman to take him in for one
night only, and hide him where she thought proper. She at last suffered
herself to be persuaded, for she was of a compassionate and generous
disposition, and took him into the house. First, they entered a fine
large hall, magnificently furnished; they then passed through several
spacious rooms, in the same style of grandeur; but all appeared forsaken
and desolate. A long gallery came next, it was very dark, just light
enough to show that instead of a wall on one side, there was a grating
of iron which parted off a dismal dungeon, from whence issued the groans
of those victims whom the cruel giant reserved in confinement for his
own voracious appetite.

Poor Jack was half dead with fear, and would have given the world to
have been with his mother again, for he now began to doubt if he should
ever see her more; he even mistrusted the good woman, and thought she
had let him into the house for no other purpose than to lock him up
among the unfortunate people in the dungeon. However, she bade Jack sit
down, and gave him plenty to eat and drink; and he, not seeing anything
to make him uncomfortable, soon forgot his fear, and was just beginning
to enjoy himself, when he was startled by a loud knocking at the outer
door, which made the whole house shake.

"Ah! that's the giant; and if he sees you he will kill you and me too,"
cried the poor woman, trembling all over. "What shall I do?"

"Hide me in the oven," cried Jack, now as bol