The King received him with great kindness, and as the fine clothes he had given him extremely set off his good mien (for he was well made, and very handsome in his person), the King's daughter took a secret inclination to him, and the Marquis of Carabas had no sooner cast two or three respectful and somewhat tender glances, but she fell in love with him to distraction. The King immediately commanded the officers of his wardrobe to run and fetch one of his best suits for the lord Marquis of Carabas. This cunning Cat had hidden them under a great stone. While they were drawing the poor Marquis out of the river, the Cat came up to the coach, and told the King that while his master was washing, there came by some rogues, who went off with his clothes, tho' he had cried out "Thieves, thieves," several times, as loud as he could. "Help, help, my lord Marquis of Carabas is drowning."Īt this noise the King put his head out of his coach-window, and finding it was the Cat who had so often brought him such good game, he commanded his guards to run immediately to the assistance of his lordship the Marquis of Carabas. While he was washing, the King passed by, and the Cat began to cry out, as loud as he could: The Marquis of Carabas did what the Cat advised him to, without knowing why or wherefore. "If you will follow my advice, your fortune is made you have nothing else to do, but go and wash yourself in the river, in that part I shall shew you, and leave the rest to me." One day in particular, when he knew for certain that the King was to take the air, along the river side, with his daughter, the most beautiful Princess in the world, he said to his master: The Cat continued for two or three months, thus to carry his Majesty, from time to time, game of his master's taking. The King in like manner received the partridges with great pleasure, and ordered him some money to drink. He went and made a present of these to the King, as he had done before of the rabbit which he took in the warren. "Tell thy master," said the King, "that I thank him, and that he does me a great deal of pleasure."Īnother time he went and hid himself among some standing corn, holding still his bag open and when a brace of partridges ran into it, he drew the strings, and so caught them both.
"I have brought you, sir, a rabbit of the warren which my noble lord the Marquis of Carabas" (for that was the title which Puss was pleased to give his master) "has commanded me to present to your Majesty from him."
He was shewed up stairs into the King's apartment, and, making a low reverence, said to him: Proud of his prey, he went with it to the palace, and asked to speak with his Majesty. Scarce was he lain down, but he had what he wanted a rash and foolish young rabbit jumped into his bag, and Monsieur Puss, immediately drawing close the strings, took and killed him without pity. He put bran and sow-thistle into his bag, and stretching himself out at length, as if he had been dead, he waited for some young rabbit, not yet acquainted with the deceits of the world, to come and rummage his bag for what he had put into it. When the Cat had what he asked for, he booted himself very gallantly and putting his bag about his neck, he held the strings of it in his two fore paws, and went into a warren where was great abundance of rabbits. Tho' the Cat's master did not build very much upon what he said, he had however often seen him play a great many cunning tricks to catch rats and mice as when he used to hang by the heels, or hide himself in the meal, and make as if he were dead so that he did not altogether despair of his affording him some help in his miserable condition. "Do not thus afflict yourself, my good master you have only to give me a bag, and get a pair of boots made for me, that I may scamper thro' the dirt and the brambles, and you shall see that you have not so bad a portion of me as you imagine."
The Cat, who heard all this, but made as if he did not, said to him with a grave and serious air: "My brothers," said he, "may get their living handsomely enough, by joining their stocks together but for my part, when I have eaten up my Cat, and made me a muff of his skin, I must die with hunger." The poor young fellow was quite comfortless at having so poor a lot. The eldest had the Mill, the second the Ass, and the youngest nothing but the Cat. They would soon have eaten up all the poor patrimony. Neither the scrivener nor attorney were sent for.
There was a miller, who left no more estate to the three sons he had, than his Mill, his Ass, and his Cat.
0 kommentar(er)
