The Red Fairy Book by Andrew Lang (interesting novels to read .txt) 📕

you take your walk.’

The Giantess obeyed, and returned with a beautiful harp. The

framework was all sparkling with diamonds and rubies, and the

strings were all of gold.

`This is one of the nicest things I took from the knight,’ said

the Giant. `I am very fond of music, and my harp is a faithful

servant.’

So he drew the harp towards him, and said:

`Play!’

And the harp played a very soft, sad air.

`Play something merrier!’ said the Giant.

And the harp played a merry tune.

`Now play me a lullaby,’ roared the Giant; and the harp played

a sweet lullaby, to the sound of which its master fell asleep.

Then Jack stole softly out of the wardrobe, and went into the

huge kitchen to see if the Giantess had gone out; he found no one

there, so he went to the door and opened it softly, for he thought he

could not do so with the harp in his hand.

Then he entered the Giant’s room and seized the harp and ran

away with it; but as he jumped over the threshold the harp called

out:

`MASTER! MASTER!’

And the Giant woke up.

With a tremendous roar he sprang from his seat, and in two strides

had reached the door.

But Jack was very nimble. He fled like lightning with the harp,

talking to it as he went (for he saw it was a fairy), and telling it he

was the son of its old master, the knight.

Still the Giant came on so fast that he was quite close to poor

Jack, and had stretched out his great hand to catch him. But,

luckily, just at that moment he stepped upon a loose stone, stumbled,

and fell flat on the ground, where he lay at his full length.

This accident gave Jack time to get on the Beanstalk and hasten

down it; but just as he reached their own garden he beheld the

Giant descending after him.

`Mother I mother!’ cried Jack, `make haste and give me the

axe.’

His mother ran to him with a hatchet in her hand, and Jack

with one tremendous blow cut through all the Beanstalks except

one.

`Now, mother, stand out of the way!’ said he.

THE GIANT BREAKS HIS NECK.

Jack’s mother shrank back, and it was well she did so, for just

as the Giant took hold of the last branch of the Beanstalk, Jack cut

the stem quite through and darted from the spot.

Down came the Giant with a terrible crash, and as he fell on his

head, he broke his neck, and lay dead at the feet of the woman he

had so much injured.

Before Jack and his mother had recovered from their alarm and

agitation, a beautiful lady stood before them.

`Jack,’ said she, `you have acted like a brave knight’s son, and

deserve to have your inheritance restored to you. Dig a grave and

bury the Giant, and then go and kill the Giantess.’

`But,’ said Jack, `I could not kill anyone unless I were fighting

with him; and I could not draw my sword upon a woman. Moreover,

the Giantess was very kind to me.’

The Fairy smiled on Jack.

`I am very much pleased with your generous feeling,’ she said.

`Nevertheless, return to the castle, and act as you will find needful.’

Jack asked the Fairy if she would show him the way to the castle,

as the Beanstalk was now down. She told him that she would

drive him there in her chariot, which was drawn by two peacocks.

Jack thanked her, and sat down in the chariot with her.

The Fairy drove him a long distance round, till they reached a

village which lay at the bottom of the hill. Here they found a

number of miserable-looking men assembled. The Fairy stopped

her carriage and addressed them:

`My friends,’ said she, `the cruel giant who oppressed you and

ate up all your flocks and herds is dead, and this young gentleman

was the means of your being delivered from him, and is the son of

your kind old master, the knight.’

The men gave a loud cheer at these words, and pressed forward

to say that they would serve Jack as faithfully as they had served

his father. The Fairy bade them follow her to the castle, and they

marched thither in a body, and Jack blew the horn and demanded

admittance.

The old Giantess saw them coming from the turret loop-hole.

She was very much frightened, for she guessed that something had

happened to her husband; and as she came downstairs very fast

she caught her foot in her dress, and fell from the top to the bottom

and broke her neck.

When the people outside found that the door was not opened to

them, they took crowbars and forced the portal. Nobody was to be

seen, but on leaving the hall they found the body of the Giantess at

the foot of the stairs.

Thus Jack took possession of the castle. The Fairy went and

brought his mother to him, with the hen and the harp. He had the

Giantess buried, and endeavoured as much as lay in his power to do

right to those whom the Giant had robbed.

Before her departure for fairyland, the Fairy explained to Jack

that she had sent the butcher to meet him with the beans, in order

to try what sort of lad he was.

If you had looked at the gigantic Beanstalk and only stupidly

wondered about it,’ she said, `I should have left you where

misfortune had placed you, only restoring her cow to your mother.

But you showed an inquiring mind, and great courage and enterprise,

therefore you deserve to rise; and when you mounted the Beanstalk

you climbed the Ladder of Fortune.’

She then took her leave of Jack and his mother.

ONCE upon a time there lived a King and Queen who loved each

other so much that they were never happy unless they were

together. Day after day they went out hunting or fishing; night

after night they went to balls or to the opera; they sang, and danced,

and ate sugar-plums, and were the gayest of the gay, and all their

subjects followed their example so that the kingdom was called the

Joyous Land. Now in the next kingdom everything was as different

as it could possibly be. The King was sulky and savage, and never

enjoyed himself at all. He looked so ugly and cross that all his

subjects feared him, and he hated the very sight of a cheerful face;

so if he ever caught anyone smiling he had his head cut off that

very minute. This kingdom was very appropriately called the Land

of Tears. Now when this wicked King heard of the happiness of

the Jolly King, he was so jealous that he collected a great army

and set out to fight him, and the news of his approach was soon

brought to the King and Queen. The Queen, when she heard of it,

was frightened out of her wits, and began to cry bitterly. `Sire,’

she said, `let us collect all our riches and run away as far as ever

we can, to the other side of the world.’

But the King answered:

`Fie, madam! I am far too brave for that. It is better to die

than to be a coward.’

Then he assembled all his armed men, and after bidding the

Queen a tender farewell, he mounted his splendid horse and rode

away. When he was lost to sight the Queen could do nothing but

weep, and wring her hands, and cry.

`Alas! If the King is killed, what will become of me and of my

little daughter?’ and she was so sorrowful that she could neither eat

nor sleep.

The King sent her a letter every day, but at last, one morning,

as she looked out of the palace window, she saw a messenger

approaching in hot haste.

`What news, courier? What news?’ cried the Queen, and he

answered:

`The battle is lost and the King is dead, and in another moment

the enemy will be here.’

The poor Queen fell back insensible, and all her ladies carried

her to bed, and stood round her weeping and wailing. Then began

a tremendous noise and confusion, and they knew that the enemy

had arrived, and very soon they heard the King himself stamping

about the palace seeking the Queen. Then her ladies put the little

Princess into her arms, and covered her up, head and all, in the

bedclothes, and ran for their lives, and the poor Queen lay there

shaking, and hoping she would not be found. But very soon the

wicked King clattered into the room, and in a fury because the

Queen would not answer when he called to her, he tore back her

silken coverings and tweaked off her lace cap, and when all her

lovely hair came tumbling down over her shoulders, he wound it

three times round his hand and threw her over his shoulder, where

he carried her like a sack of flour.

The poor Queen held her little daughter safe in her arms and

shrieked for mercy, but the wicked King only mocked her, and

begged her to go on shrieking, as it amused him, and so mounted

his great black horse, and rode back to his own country. When he

got there he declared that he would have the Queen and the little

Princess hanged on the nearest tree; but his courtiers said that

seemed a pity, for when the baby grew up she would be a very nice

wife for the King’s only son.

The King was rather pleased with this idea, and shut the Queen

up in the highest room of a tall tower, which was very tiny, and

miserably furnished with a table and a very hard bed upon the floor.

Then he sent for a fairy who lived near his kingdom, and after

receiving her with more politeness than he generally showed, and

entertaining her at a sumptuous feast, he took her up to see the

Queen. The fairy was so touched by the sight of her misery that

when she kissed her hand she whispered:

`Courage, madam! I think I see a way to help you.’

The Queen, a little comforted by these words, received her

graciously, and begged her to take pity upon the poor little Princess, who

had met with such a sudden reverse of fortune. But the King got

very cross when he saw them whispering together, and cried harshly:

`Make an end of these fine speeches, madam. I brought you

here to tell me if the child will grow up pretty and fortunate.’

Then the Fairy answered that the Princess would be as pretty,

and clever, and well brought up as it was possible to be, and the

old King growled to the Queen that it was lucky for her that it was

so, as they would certainly have been hanged if it were otherwise.

Then he stamped off, taking the Fairy with him, and leaving the

poor Queen in tears.

`How can I wish my little daughter to grow up pretty if she is

to be married to that horrid little dwarf, the King’s son,’ she said

to herself, `and yet, if she is ugly we shall both be killed. If I could

only hide her away somewhere, so that the cruel King could never

find her.’

As the days went