"I'll tell you the story of that castle," said a strange-looking woman that came towards him.

She wore a pointed cap, her hair streamed loose over her shoulders, and she walked with a staff.

"Is this your house?" asked Jack politely.

"No," said the old lady.
 "Listen - once there was a noble knight who lived in this castle.
He had a fair and considerate wife and many lovely children.
His neighbors were very friendly towards him.
Rumor whispered of these treasures; and a monstrous giant, who lived not far away, wanted to have them.

He bribed a false servant to let him into the castle, when the knight was in bed and asleep,
and he killed him as he lay in a sound sleep. Then the ogre went on and killed all the poor little ones.

However, the lady was not there.
She had gone with her infant son to visit her old nurse in the valley; and was detained at that place all night by a storm.

Next morning, one of the servants at the castle managed to escape. 
He told the lady of the sad fate of her husband and her pretty babes
 and that the giant had vowed he would kill both her and her baby if he could find them.

With many tears and sobs the old nurse besought the saddened widow to bear in mind that she had still a child,
and that it was her duty to keep on living for the sake of that one.

The lady yielded to this reasoning, and long years rolled on.

The old nurse died, leaving her cottage and the few articles of furniture it contained to her poor lady.
She lived there, and now worked as a peasant for her daily bread.
Her spinning-wheel and the milk of a cow, which she had bought with the little money she had with her,
sufficed all right, but they were not rich in any way. 

There was a nice little garden attached to the cottage. In that place they grew peas, beans, and cabbages.
At harvest time the lady would glean in the fields to give her son the food he needed.

Jack, that woman is your mother. This castle was once your father's, and has to be yours."

Jack crowed of surprise.
"My mother!"

"It is your duty to win back that castle for your mother, and the task is tricky and dangerous. Do you dare?"
"Only when I'm doing right," said Jack.

"Then," said the woman in a red cap, "you're one of those who slay giants. Now, all the giant has is really yours."

What a lesson! Suddenly the woman disappeared, and from this Jack saw she was a fairy, not Robin Hood in splendid disguise.

Jack made up his mind and straight away blew his horn - the horn that hung at the castle portal.
The door swung open in a minute or two - he came upon a huge woman who had one great eye in the middle of her forehead.

As soon as Jack saw her ugly face he turned to run, but she caught him.

"Ho, ho!" she laughed terribly.
 "You didn't expect to see me here, that is clear! This is the worst that has happened to you, I dare say. 
I'm outright weary of my life. I'm not as good-looking as other ladies. You shall be my boy, my little lad."

She dragged Jack further into the castle. He was alarmed, as I'm sure you and I would have been.
But since fear disgraces, Jack tried to be brave and make the best of things.

"I'm quite ready to help you, if only you will hide me from your husband. I should not like to be eaten more by that one, not at all."

"That's a good boy. Lucky for you that you did not scream out when you saw me.
For then my husband would have awakened and have eaten you for breakfast.
Come here, go into my wardrobe: he never ventures to open that sort of furniture."

She opened a huge wardrobe in the great hall and shut him into it.
The keyhole was so large that it admitted plenty of air.
And he could see everything that took place through it.
By-and-by he heard a heavy tramp on the stairs.
It was like the lumbering along of a great cannon,
and then a voice like thunder cried out as if in pain somehow;

"Fee-faw-fum,
I smell the wind of a warring man.
Let him be dead,
So he can make us some bread."

"Wife," cried the giant, "there's a man in the castle: my breakfast!"

"You're grown old and stupid," cried the lady in her loud tones. 
"It's a nice fresh steak off a mammoth I've cooked for you. I bet that's what you smell.
There, sit down and make a good breakfast."

She placed a huge dish before him of savory steaming meat.
It greatly pleased him and made him forget the idea of another male in the house.
When he had had breakfast he went out for a walk.

As for Jack, he helped the ugly woman all day, but she fed him well.
When evening came she put him back in the wardrobe. And that was about it.

Act 4 >>