Читать книгу Английские волшебные сказки / English Fairy Tales онлайн | страница 7

‘Oh! please, mum, do give me something to eat, mum. I’ve had nothing to eat since yesterday morning, really and truly, mum,’ says Jack. ‘I may as well be broiled as die of hunger.’

Well, the ogre’s wife was not half so bad after all. So she took Jack into the kitchen, and gave him a hunk of bread and cheese and a jug of milk. But Jack hadn’t half finished these when thump! thump! thump! the whole house began to tremble with the noise of someone coming.

‘Goodness gracious me! It’s my old man,’ said the ogre’s wife, ‘what on earth shall I do? Come along quick and jump in here.’ And she bundled Jack into the oven just as the ogre came in.

He was a big one , to be sure . At his belt he had three calves strung up by the heels , and he unhooked them and threw them down on the table and said : ‘Here, wife , broil me a couple of these for breakfast . Ah! what’s this I smell

‘Fee-fi-fo-fum,

I smell the blood of an Englishman

Be he alive, or be he dead

I’ll have his bones to grind my bread .’

‘Nonsense, dear ,’ said his wife , ‘you’re dreaming . Or perhaps you smell the scraps of that little boy you liked so much for yesterday’s dinner . Here , you go and have a wash and tidy up , and by the time you come back your breakfast’ll be ready for you .’

He was a big one, to be sure. At his belt he had three calves strung up by the heels, and he unhooked them and threw them down on the table and said: ‘Here, wife, broil me a couple of these for breakfast. Ah! what’s this I smell?

‘Fee-fi-fo-fum,

I smell the blood of an Englishman,

Be he alive, or be he dead,

I’ll have his bones to grind my bread.’

‘Nonsense, dear,’ said his wife, ‘you’re dreaming. Or perhaps you smell the scraps of that little boy you liked so much for yesterday’s dinner. Here, you go and have a wash and tidy up, and by the time you come back your breakfast’ll be ready for you.’

So off the ogre went , and Jack was just going to jump out of the oven and run away when the woman told him not . ‘Wait till he’s asleep ,’ says she ; ‘he always has a doze after breakfast .’