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diff --git a/old/30050.txt b/old/30050.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d2d2391 --- /dev/null +++ b/old/30050.txt @@ -0,0 +1,2389 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Tales From Catland, for Little Kittens, by +Tabitha Grimalkin + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Tales From Catland, for Little Kittens + +Author: Tabitha Grimalkin + +Illustrator: Hammatt Billings + +Release Date: September 21, 2009 [EBook #30050] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TALES FROM CATLAND *** + + + + +Produced by David Garcia, Jeannie Howse and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This +file was produced from images generously made available +by The Internet Archive) + + + + + + + * * * * * + + +-----------------------------------------------------------+ + | Transcriber's Note: | + | | + | Inconsistent hyphenation in the original document has | + | been preserved. | + | | + | Obvious typographical errors have been corrected. For | + | a complete list, please see the end of this document. | + | | + +-----------------------------------------------------------+ + + * * * * * + + + + +[Illustration: TALES FROM CATLAND.] + + + + + TALES FROM CATLAND, + + FOR + + LITTLE KITTENS. + + BY + + AN OLD TABBY. + + + With Engravings from Designs by Billings. + + + BOSTON: + TICKNOR, REED, AND FIELDS. + MDCCCLII. + + + + +BOSTON: +THURSTON, TORRY, AND EMERSON, +Printers, Devonshire Street. + + + + +TO THE + +KITTENS OF ENGLAND, + +THE FOLLOWING PAGES + +ARE VERY AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED, + +BY THEIR + +SINCERE FRIEND AND WELL-WISHER, + +Tabitha Grimalkin. + + + + +TALES FROM CATLAND. + + + + +THE THREE CATS. + + +Many hundred years ago, in the good old times of the fairies, there +lived a young princess in a very grand palace. Its walls were of the +purest white marble, the doors were of orange-wood, the window-frames +were of gold, and the furniture of the rooms was of the most costly +description. The princess's drawing-room was hung with beautiful +tapestry, the curtains were of the richest crimson silk, all over +golden flowers, the mirrors reached from the floor to the ceiling, and +the chairs were of ebony inlaid with precious stones. And the princess +had two hundred and four best gowns, some of cloth of gold, some of +silver tissue; besides a great many others, nearly as good, that she +wore every day. + +But my story has not so much to do with the princess, as with her +_cats_, for she had two; an elderly one, called Glumdalkin, and a very +frolicsome young one whose name was Friskarina. Glumdalkin was, +somehow or other, second cousin once removed to Friskarina, but years +older; and, to say the truth, Friskarina was not very fond of her: +however, in consideration of her age and relationship, she behaved on +the whole very civilly and respectfully to her. They were so very +different. And there was not the least family likeness, either, in +their persons. Glumdalkin was jet black, had an uncommonly cross pair +of green eyes, that seemed always on the look-out for something going +wrong, was very fat, and moved as if it was too much trouble to her to +walk across the room; while Friskarina's coat was of the richest +tortoise-shell, and though she was quite plump, and as sleek as +satin, yet there was not a more lively little creature in all Catland; +it quite did one good to see her jumping over the foot-stools in the +princess's drawing-room. She had a prodigious longing, sometimes, to +jump over cousin Glum's great broad back, as she sat before the fire; +but she knew _that_ would never do, so she was prudent, and contented +herself with scampering over the furniture; while Glumdalkin, +pretending to be sound asleep all the time, would be watching her with +one eye open the least bit in the world, and secretly wishing that +Friskarina might be unlucky enough to dash down one of the princess's +old china jars that stood under the table. + +It was a cold winter's evening--_very_ cold--and the pages had drawn +the thick crimson curtains in the drawing-room, and the fire had been +mended, and was piled high up, blazing and crackling; the candles were +lighted, and Glumdalkin's velvet cushion had been placed ready for her +in front of the fire, and she was slowly crawling towards it, that +she might stretch herself out at full length, and digest the wing of a +boiled fowl that she had just been dining upon. The princess was lying +on the sofa by the side of the fire, apparently fast asleep. But she +was not asleep; and, moreover, she was watching Glumdalkin, who had +settled herself very comfortably on her cushion, while Friskarina, +looking much graver than usual, was sitting with her shoulders drawn +up to her ears, in quite an old cattish attitude, and her bright +shining eyes fixed thoughtfully on the fire. + +Now you must know that the princess had an old aunt who was a fairy; +and she had bestowed upon her niece the faculty of understanding the +language of animals; a very amusing gift it was, and the princess +often derived great diversion from it. On the present occasion, as she +lay on her sofa after dinner, she thought it would be very good +entertainment to hear what Glumdalkin and Friskarina might be talking +about. + +But some time passed before either said anything; at last, Glumdalkin +gave a great yawn, and flapping her tail rather angrily against the +cushion, remarked: + +'Really, Friskarina, you are dreadfully stupid, to-night; you make +noise enough when I want to go to sleep: but now, when I am inclined +for a little rational conversation, you sit there as mum and sulky as +an old bear.' + +Friskarina was used to polite observations from her second cousin once +removed, so she very quietly answered that she thought Glumdalkin had +been going to take a nap, and that she did not wish to disturb her. + +'Well, I do admire that!' exclaimed Glumdalkin; 'you are wonderfully +considerate, all at once; now, _I_ think, Miss Friskarina, you have +been getting into mischief, and that's the reason you sit so quiet +there. I should like to know where you were all this morning, when the +pages were running all over the house after you, because the princess +wanted you, and nobody could find you? Well, people have strange +tastes! I should have thought she would have found the company of a +grave, decorous cat, like myself, who knows the ways of the court, and +has seen something of society, a great deal more agreeable than that +of such a ridiculous, light-headed thing as you are: I declare you +make me quite nervous very often, you jump about so! But she never +sent for _me_; so of course I could not go to her. The world's very +unlike what it was when I was young--very unlike indeed!' and, giving +an odd kind of grunt in her throat, Glumdalkin curled herself round on +the other side, as if in a sort of despair at the wickedness of the +world. + +Friskarina thought she had not much to complain of, but she did not +venture to say it; so she answered, quite good-naturedly: + +'I am very sorry, cousin Glumdalkin, that I was out when the princess +called for me, but _indeed_ I was in no mischief; I was seeing such +strange sights, it has made me quite unhappy ever since I came back.' + +'Humph!' said Glumdalkin, 'and pray what wonderful things have you +been seeing?' + +'Why,' replied Friskarina, 'I got uncommonly tired this morning of the +palace garden, I know every stick and stone in it so well. I had been +racing nine times round the gravel walk, and had got half way round to +make up ten, when, luckily, I saw that the gardener had left the outer +door ajar; so I thought I might as well take the opportunity of seeing +what there was on the other side of the wall; accordingly I peeped out +and found that I was in a kind of road, with some such odd looking +things, here and there, I don't know what to call them, but I fancy +people live in them, for I saw some persons going into one of them. +They were not in the least like this house that the princess lives in; +I am sure Grandmagnificolowsky, the tall page, could never have stood +upright in any one of them--and so black and dismal and dirty they +looked!' + +'And you went into one of the nasty places, of course?' growled +Glumdalkin; '_cottages_, child, they are called.' + +'You shall hear all, in good time,' answered Friskarina; 'I was +peeping about, outside our garden door, rather afraid to venture +further, when I saw _such_ a cat come out of one of these cottages, as +you call them--O Glumdalkin! it really would have made your heart ache +to have seen her. I had no idea there were such cats in the world. It +was dreadful to look at her; she was so horribly thin, you might have +counted her bones, and as dirty as if she had lived all her life in a +coal-hole: she crawled out of the door as if she had hardly strength +to walk, and _such_ a thin tail she had; it made me shudder to look at +her. I couldn't help going up and asking her what was the matter with +her----' + +'What!' interrupted Glumdalkin, rousing herself up, her eyes flashing +fire, and her whiskers standing on end, 'do you mean to say, that +_you_--a cat descended from such an honorable and distinguished +family as ours--one of the most ancient in Catland--that you actually +demeaned yourself so far as to enter into conversation with a filthy, +beggarly wretch, crawling out of a miserable cottage? Friskarina, on +the honor of a cat, I am ashamed of you.' + +'I certainly _did_ enter into conversation with her,' replied +Friskarina, plucking up a little spirit; 'for I asked her where she +lived, and why she was so thin and dirty.' + +'I wonder,' said Glumdalkin, 'how you could bear to go near her.' + +'But, one couldn't help it, you know,' said Friskarina, 'when she +looked so very wretched. Poor thing! when I asked her how it was she +was so thin, the tears came into her eyes, and she said, she had so +very little to eat. I asked her if her mistress never gave her any +cream? and--would you believe it?--she actually asked me what cream +was.' + +'Why, you simple child,' said Glumdalkin, 'do you suppose _cottage_ +cats ever taste such a thing? They think themselves lucky if they can +get a drop of skimmed milk now and then----' (Some people suspected, +but this is _quite_ between ourselves, that Glumdalkin, though she +boasted that she had never been outside the walls of the palace garden +in her life, knew more about the ways of cats in humble stations than +she chose to confess--her father, it was said, had married sadly +beneath his family.) + +'I don't believe,' continued Friskarina, 'that _that_ poor cat ever +gets even skimmed milk; for she told me her mistress could not get +enough to eat herself, and that she hardly ever gave _her_ anything at +all; so that all she lives upon is a chance mouse, when she can catch +it, or the black beetles she finds on the floor at night. And when she +is thirsty, she goes to a gutter that runs by the side of the road, +and laps a little muddy water. Only fancy what a dreadful life to +lead. I had no notion that there was a cat in the world so badly off. +I really could not eat my dinner to-day, for thinking about it. It +seems so sad, to have all these nice things, all the great saucers of +cream that we have for breakfast, and these soft cushions to sleep +upon, and then to think of that poor cat, so near us, catching black +beetles (nasty things!) for her supper, and lapping out of the dirty +gutter; it makes me quite wretched.' + +'Friskarina;' said Glumdalkin, rising from her velvet cushion, with a +great deal of majesty in her air, and curling her tail very solemnly +round her toes--'Friskarina, let us have no more of this nonsense, if +you please! I consider your behavior this morning, and your +conversation at present, utterly beneath the dignity of a cat of +condition. Remember the distinguished family from which you have +sprung, and that you have the honor to belong to the household of the +princess--so, pray, let me hear no more of making acquaintances among +the vulgar cats of the village; you will be a disgrace to the court!' + +Friskarina shrugged her shoulders, and replied, in rather an +under-tone, 'that she really did not see anything _disgraceful_ in +being sorry for the unfortunate----' to which Glumdalkin made no +answer. She seemed to be seized with a violent fit of cleanliness, and +began washing and biting her right paw with extraordinary vehemence. + +Just then, the entrance of Grandmagnificolowsky, and three or four +more of the pages, with the princess's supper, put an end to the +conversation. A fine gold dish, containing several dainty morsels, +which the princess had carved with her own royal hands, was put down +upon the velvet cushion, and Glumdalkin did them full justice. + +When supper was over, two of the maids of honor carried the two cats +to their beds, where we will leave them for the night, in pretty +little baskets lined with yellow satin, and made so delightfully soft +and warm, that it almost made one go to sleep only to look at them. +Nevertheless, Friskarina lay awake a whole quarter of an hour, +turning over a plan in her little head, that she meant to try and +bring to pass the next day, if possible. + +Glumdalkin was fast asleep in a minute. What was the princess doing? +She was lying in her splendid bed, thinking and watching the +fire-light dancing upon the spangles of her curtains, for her bed was +so beautiful--so very beautiful! It was made all of silver, in the +shape of a nautilus shell; and the curtains were of pale blue satin, +embroidered with silver flowers: you never saw such a lovely bed as it +was! And the longer the princess watched the light flashing so merrily +upon all the fine things in the room, the more she thought; and the +more she thought, the more unhappy she grew, but what she thought +about I can't tell you; perhaps we shall guess by and bye: I dare say +she dropped asleep at last. + +During the night there was a heavy fall of snow. When the princess +came down to breakfast, the grass was covered with a sheet of pure +white--the trees quivered beneath the snow that covered their +boughs--the shrubs in the garden looked like a fairy-wood of frosted +silver glittering in the cold, bright sun--and far, far away, many +miles distant, rose high mountains, white and dreary, with pine +forests nodding on their summits. It was very--very cold. + +Now there were few things Friskarina liked better than a gambol in the +snow; so, as soon as she had finished her breakfast, and had warmed +herself well at the fire, off she set, full drive, into the garden, +pattering hither and thither, that she might have the pleasure of +making as many footmarks as possible, and jumping up at the flakes +that came tumbling down from the laurel-leaves. Never was there such a +merry little cat! At last the thought struck her--the poor cottage +cat--did she like the snow, too? and Friskarina longed to know whether +she could come out that morning: perhaps she meant to sit by the fire +all day. By degrees, Friskarina recollected that she went to sleep the +night before with a plan in her head. So she ran down the lawn +towards the garden door, hoping to find it again open. Alas! the +ill-natured gardener had shut it quite fast. However, Friskarina was +not easily daunted; a cat of genius is never without resources. She +turned her eyes towards a thick trailing of ivy that grew up the wall, +and she began to wonder whether cousin Glumdalkin would be likely to +spy her out if she climbed up the ivy-tree, and so got over the wall +that way. She considered, however, that on such a morning as that, +Glumdalkin would be sure to be on the hearth-rug, with her nose as +close to the fender as possible, not troubling her head in the least +about the world out of doors. + +So, making a vigorous spring, Friskarina was soon half-way up the +ivy-tree, shaking down a shower of white flakes every jump she made. +At length she was fairly at the top of the wall. It was a terrible +height from the ground, and there was no ivy on the other side to help +her down by. + +So she sat down to rest, and look about her a minute. The miserable +cottages looked still _more_ miserable than they had done the day +before--the snow lay thick on their roofs--no smoke issued from their +chimneys--no one seemed stirring about them. Nothing could well be +more desolate. + +Suddenly, the door of one of them opened, and an old woman came out, +followed by Friskarina's new friend, the unhappy cat. Such an old +woman Friskarina had never beheld, nor imagined, before. She was not a +bit like the Lady Dumbellinda, the princess's governess, the only old +lady Friskarina had ever seen, for _she_ was very fat, and had very +rosy cheeks, and very smooth hair, in set curls that never seemed to +get out of order; and she had very fine velvet gowns, and beautiful +clothes. But this poor old woman, who came out of the hut, was all +shrivelled up, as it were, and seemed as if she had hardly a bit of +flesh on her bones, and her hair was nearly as white as the snow, and +the wind blew it from under her cap in all directions; she had an old +rag of a gray cloak on, that she tried to keep about her, with one +hand, as well as she could, but the wind got in so through the holes, +that she might almost as well have been without it. She had come out +to look for sticks; for the gusts that swept down from the hills +snapped off the little twigs from the tall trees, and scattered them +about the road. After picking up a few, the poor old creature, shaking +her head, and shivering beneath the cold blast, turned back, and +re-entered her cottage; shutting her door after her, so that her cat +was left without. Poor pussy soon spied her friend, who had spoken so +condescendingly to her the day before, on the top of the wall, and she +saluted her with an air of the greatest deference and humility. + +Friskarina returned her a gracious bow, and, without further +hesitation, dropped down from the wall. + +It was lucky for her that there was a good thick bed of snow at the +bottom, so that she fell soft; but she rolled quite over. However, +she was nothing the worse, and she ran up to her new acquaintance; +and, after remarking what a snowy morning it was, demanded her name. + +'My mistress calls me Tibb, please your ladyship;' said the poor +little cat, shaking with the cold. + +'I did not know whether I should see you this morning,' pursued +Friskarina, 'I thought you might be sitting by the fire all day, as it +is so very cold.' + +'Dear ma'am, we have no fire!' exclaimed poor Tibb, as if astonished +at the very idea of such a luxury; 'my mistress won't have a fire till +she wants to boil her dinner.' + +'Then how do you ever keep yourself warm?' asked Friskarina, quite +horror-struck. + +'Please, my lady, I never _am_ warm,' said poor Tibb, in a very +melancholy voice. + +Friskarina was ready to cry, 'And you say they never give you any +dinner, either?' she said. + +'Very seldom, indeed, your ladyship.' + +'But your mistress must be dreadfully cruel,' exclaimed Friskarina, +'to take no more care of you than that!' + +'What can she do?' replied Tibb, 'she has not got enough for herself +and her daughter, so it is not likely she can give me anything. If +your gracious ladyship would just please to step this way, and peep +under the door, you will see how my mistress lives.' So saying, Tibb +led the way to the hut; and Friskarina, crouching down to a very wide +chink under the door, saw a dwelling, the mere notion of which had +never entered her imagination till that moment. + +'And have you lived _here_ all your life?' she said, drawing back at +length, and looking with the most sincere compassion at Tibb. + +'Where else could I go, my lady?' replied the poor cat; 'it is better +than lying in the road.' + +'And you absolutely don't know what it is to have a good dinner? How +very shocking! But now listen to me, Tibb; do you think you can +manage to climb over that wall?' + +'I can but try,' replied Tibb, looking as if she began to have an +indistinct idea that her new friend meant to do something for her. + +'Then,' continued Friskarina, 'if you will follow me, and keep quiet +behind the trees in the garden, I will give you part of my dinner +every day.' + +Tibb's eyes sparkled as they had never sparkled before, at this +generous proposal; and, running to the wall, by the help of a +projecting stone here and there, she was presently at the top; then, +turning round, she watched Friskarina ascending after her. To scramble +down by the ivy-branches was the work of a moment, and the two cats +were soon hidden behind some low evergreen bushes that grew in front +of the wall. + +'Now lie quiet here,' said Friskarina, 'till I come and call you.' So +saying, she scampered off through the snow towards the palace. The +door of the princess's drawing-room was not quite shut, so Friskarina +softly pushed it a little open, and peeped cautiously in. + +Just as she expected, there sat Glumdalkin, on a high stool close by +the fire, looking more _solid_ than ever, and her back so awfully +broad! Moreover, she did not look by any means in the best of humors; +but she unbuttoned her eyes a very little atom as Friskarina came +towards the fire, and in a very gruff voice, asked her where she had +been so long? + +'I'll tell you directly,' replied Friskarina; 'but really I must get a +little warm first, my jaws are quite stiff.' + +'And it serves you right, too,' remarked the amiable Glumdalkin; 'if +you _will_ go out in the snow, when you might have a good warm house +over your head, and sit by the fire, you must take the consequences.' + +Now, from some cause or other, Friskarina felt just then in a very +particularly good humor; so she answered, in a very cheerful tone, +that she was quite ready to take all the consequences, and that she +hoped _some_ good ones, at least, would follow from her going out that +morning.--'Though, indeed,' she added, 'I have been seeing some very +sad things.' + +'Then, as sure as cream is cream,' exclaimed Glumdalkin, quite +fiercely, 'you've been talking to that good-for-nothing wretch of a +cat again. I am astonished at you, Friskarina!' + +'Now, my dear cousin,' answered Friskarina, very quietly, 'just hear +me--let us talk the matter over a little: I am sure you would feel +just as I do about it, if you had been with me this morning.' + +'Humph,' muttered Glumdalkin, '_I'm_ not sure of that at all. But, +tell your story, child. We shan't have any peace, I suppose, till you +have.' + +Friskarina gulphed down a rather sharp speech that was just at the end +of her tongue, and went on with the recital of her adventures:--'I +have certainly seen the poor cat; and the cottage, too, in which she +lives--O Glumdalkin! such a place it is, you never saw anything like +it; there was not a bit of fire on the hearth, and in one corner there +lay a woman on a heap of straw, with an old rug over her. She was not +at all like the princess, or the maids of honor, for she had such a +thin white face, and such skinny hands, it was dreadful to look at +her--she was quite as thin as the poor cat: and the old woman, I mean +the cat's mistress, was stooping over her, and giving her something +out of a broken cup. Poor old woman! she groaned so, when she looked +at her, that it really went to my heart to hear her.' + +'And pray,' interrupted Glumdalkin, 'what's all this to us? I do think +you take quite a delight in making one low spirited; as if the day +wasn't quite dismal enough already. Of course, one's very sorry for +the people, and all that sort of thing, but what good can _you_ do, I +should like to know, poking your nose into such places? You can't do +anything for them; and why should you put yourself into such a +ridiculous fuss? If you were the princess, now, you _might_ help the +people--but you, a cat, what can you do? It's no concern of yours.' + +'It is too true,' sighed Friskarina, 'I can do no good to the old +woman and her sick daughter; but, with your leave, Cousin Glumdalkin, +I _can_ do something for the poor cat, and that will be better than +nothing: if one can't do what one would, one ought to do what one can. +And now, my dear good Cousin Glumdalkin, I want you to lend me a +helping paw, if you please.' + +'Well, what now?' grumbled Glumdalkin. + +'Why, you know they always give us our dinner behind the laurel trees, +on the grass, and you know, too, that they give us more than we want; +indeed, more than is good for us--for don't you remember, when you +were ill last autumn, the doctor said you ought to live more +sparingly? and they never take away the bits when we have done; so +that it is all our own property, and I was thinking that if you would +be so very kind as to leave a bone or two that you really don't want, +and I will do the same, the poor----' + +Astonishment and indignation had, so far, kept Glumdalkin silent; but +now, finding voice once more, she burst forth into a perfect torrent +of wrath, declaring that not one bone would she leave--no! that she +wouldn't. _She_ wouldn't be answerable for bringing a parcel of +thieving cats about the house--a pretty thing indeed!--what did +Friskarina think the princess would say? + +Friskarina meekly replied, that there would certainly be no thieving +in the case; for that their dinner was all their own, and if they did +not eat it all, it would only be left on the grass, to moulder away; +and she really could not think the princess would have any objection +to their relieving the poor cat's want, out of their own abundance. +But these, and other similar arguments were all wasted upon the +selfish Glumdalkin: she jumped down from her stool in a passion, +turned her back upon Friskarina, rolled herself round into a great +black ball, and seemed in a few moments to be fast asleep. Not that +she was asleep, though; and her bad humor was not much mended by +hearing the princess, who was lying on her sofa, call Friskarina to +her, in her most endearing accents:--'Her dear, good, darling little +Friskarina.' + +'It's most uncommonly odd that she never calls for _me_,' thought +Glumdalkin. + +Meanwhile, Friskarina had jumped up to her mistress, who stroked her +fondly, and kissed her, and Friskarina felt her face wet with tears. + +'What can be the matter with the princess?' thought she; 'I am sure +_she_ can't have any troubles; O I wish she could see that poor woman +in the cottage!' + +One o'clock--and the great bell of the palace rang--and then the cats +always went down to dinner, and the princess went down to her +luncheon. And a grand luncheon it was, for it happened that day to be +the princess's birth-day, and three of her cousins were coming to dine +with her, and they were going to have _such_ a plum-pudding--so _very_ +big; and there was to be an elephant and castle, made of sugar, all +over gilding, at the top. But, somehow, when the princess sat down to +her luncheon, she did not look happy, notwithstanding her birth-day, +and her three cousins, and the great plum-pudding they were going to +have. + +'May it please your royal highness,' said the tall page, +Grandmagnificolowsky, 'shall I put the cats' meat in the hall for +them, as the snow is so deep in the garden, to-day?' + +'No, no, nonsense!' replied the princess, who had just helped herself +to the breast of a partridge, 'put it in the old place in the garden; +and here--put this wing and leg upon the dish too.' + +Did not Glumdalkin's eyes sparkle when she got to the dish, and found +the wing of the partridge; how she devoured it! She was really so +busy, that she actually was some minutes before she discovered that +Friskarina had gently drawn away a mutton bone, with some beautiful +picking upon it, to a spot at a little distance among the trees, and +that she had then come quietly back, and was making her own dinner +upon the drumstick of a chicken, which she was eating very +deliberately, as if she were trying to make it last as long as +possible. There was still the leg of the partridge left, and two or +three other very delicate tit-bits, besides two large slices of cold +roast-beef. Glumdalkin had hardly swallowed the last morsel of the +wing, and was just thinking about the leg, when, to her unspeakable +surprise, the house-door opened, and out came the princess, attended +by one of the maids of honor, and followed by Grandmagnificolowsky. +The ladies were muffled up in their fur cloaks, and the maid of honor +seemed to be carrying a basket. Poor famished Glumdalkin! so great was +her astonishment, that she positively paused, with her claw suspended +over the leg of the partridge, to see what her royal highness could +possibly be about. + +The princess no sooner came up to the place where the cats were +dining, than, stopping, she commanded the page to carry Glumdalkin +back to the house. 'That cat will eat herself into an apoplexy,' she +said; 'I never saw such a greedy creature!' + +The astonishment, the indignation of Glumdalkin, what words can +describe? It _has_ been said, that she positively set up her back and +hissed at the princess; but I can hardly believe _that_. However, +whether she did or not, it made no difference. Grandmagnificolowsky +picked her up, and carried her into the house, not without plenty of +scratches for his trouble. The princess and the maid of honor passed +on, and went out at the garden door. + +Here was a golden opportunity for Friskarina! She ran behind the +bushes, where Tibb was munching her bone with all her might; and +telling her to eat all that was left upon the dish, sat by, watching +her with the utmost satisfaction in her countenance, though she +certainly had not had a very capital dinner herself. Poor little Tibb! +She looked as if she hardly knew how to eat, for sheer joy! However, +she _did_ finish at last; and then, running up to Friskarina, called +her her only friend--her deliverer from starvation--and said many +other very affectionate things besides. But Friskarina cut them short, +by begging her to go home without delay, for fear the gardener should +find her, and hang her up to the apple-tree. That conclusion of her +morning's adventures not appearing desirable to poor Tibb, she lost no +time in following her friend's advice, and, with a scramble or two, +was soon over the wall, and on her road home. + +Now Friskarina had a strong idea that it would be advisable to keep +out of Glumdalkin's way that afternoon as long as possible, having a +pretty tolerable notion of the sort of temper her respected relative +would be most likely to be found in, so, cold as it was out-of-doors, +Friskarina could not muster resolution to go into the house till it +was really getting quite late, almost tea-time. So she amused herself +with making foot-marks in the snow, and running after the twigs that +the wind blew about, and such like diversions, till it got almost +dark, and she began to feel very hungry, for she had not had much +dinner. That put her in mind of her new friend; and she reflected, +with great satisfaction, that poor Tibb certainly was not nearly so +hungry that night as she had been before: and then she began to wonder +where the princess could have been going to, and whether she would see +the poor old woman at the cottage: and Friskarina thought what a fine +thing it must be to be a princess, and to be able to help people who +were in distress. What a great deal of good I would do! thought she, +as she threw herself down to rest upon a little heap of snow. I would +be so careful, and never waste anything; and I would have all the +bones saved for the poor cats round my palace; and,--O what a deal of +good I would do, if I were only a great lady, like the princess! Just +then, a very odd thought came into Friskarina's head. She began to +consider whether she _had_ done all the good she might have done, as +it was: and suddenly it struck her, that she had very often, indeed, +ate a great deal more dinner than she really wanted, just because it +happened to be nice; and she remembered, that once or twice old Bear, +the watch-dog, who was chained up in the yard, had said to her, how +glad he should be to have something more to eat; and yet it was very +odd, but it had never occurred to her, that she might so easily have +saved him a bone or two at her dinner time, and yet have had plenty +for herself too. + +So poor little Friskarina hung her head down, and felt quite ashamed; +the tears came into her eyes. 'Poor Bear!' she said, 'I might have +helped you very often, if I had only thought about you. I'm afraid I +have been very selfish!' + +And then she began to think, that perhaps it was rather unkind in her +not to go and look after poor old Glumdalkin, who was, no doubt, in no +very _happy_ mood. So, screwing up her courage as well as she could, +she trotted up stairs, and, finding that the princess was just +entering the drawing-room, she slipped in after her. The fire was +blazing gloriously; but, at first, Friskarina was quite unable to see +anything of her second cousin once removed, (I'm afraid Friskarina now +and then sincerely wished her removed altogether!) for though the fire +was bright, there were no candles in the room, and it was a very large +one, so that the further extremity of it was rather dark. So she began +looking round, for she could not imagine where the old cat could be +gone to: at last, quite at the far end, she thought she perceived some +black object behind one of the chairs, and, on going up to it, found +Glumdalkin, with her eyes closed, her head very erect, her tail curled +very tight round her toes, and her whole person apparently immovable, +except, now and then, an angry twitch at the end of her tail. + +Friskarina saw plain enough that she was not asleep; so, as she really +felt rather sorry for her, she asked her if she did not feel cold, +sitting so far from the fire. + +'I beg, Ma'am, you won't trouble yourself about me,' was the gracious +reply; 'if I chose to sit by the fire, I should do so: I suppose the +princess would not order me out!' this was said with such a strange +kind of hysterical laugh, that Friskarina thought she was going to +burst into a fit of crying. + +'Come,' she said, kindly, 'don't be so unhappy, my dear Glumdalkin! I +am sure the princess did not mean to be unkind to you; I do think she +was only afraid you might, perhaps, not be quite careful enough--might +take more than was really good for you; I'm quite certain she did not +intend anything uncivil.' + +'And do you mean to say,' screamed Glumdalkin, 'that, at my time of +life, I'm to be dictated to by a young thing like the princess, and +that I can't be trusted to eat my dinner? No, indeed, I won't submit +to it! _I'm_ not going to bear such indignities! The princess will +find out her mistake when I am gone.' + +'But,' said Friskarina, very gently, 'what can you do?' + +'Do!' said Glumdalkin, striking her paw with great violence upon the +top of a footstool, 'do! why, can't I leave the palace? You don't +suppose I shall remain here another day, do you? I shall look out for +another situation directly--a cat like myself won't go a-begging.' + +Friskarina was so astonished at this sudden resolve, that it was a +minute or two before she could answer; at length, she quietly asked +when Glumdalkin intended to quit the palace. + +'To-morrow, decidedly;' replied Glumdalkin, 'perhaps I may stay till +after dinner, there's a basket of fish just come in, and I am really +not strong enough to encounter the fatigue of the thing in a morning, +it will be a great trial to me--very great.' And Glumdalkin put her +paw up to her eyes for a few moments; but Friskarina thought it did +not look at all wet when she put it down. + +'I am very much concerned for you,' she said; 'and I do strongly +recommend to you not to think of going away: you will be lost in the +snow, and I am sure you would not like to take shelter in any of the +cottages; think what wretched places they are! What will become of +you? you will lose your way in the woods, or fall a prey to some wild +beast; do pray think better of it.' + +Glumdalkin sat silent for some minutes, seemingly plunged in the most +dismal meditations. + +'Well,' she said, at length, in a rather mollified tone, 'I have no +doubt you would all miss me dreadfully; you, especially, Friskarina, +as you are so young and giddy, and so little able to take care of +yourself; we will see, I don't wish to do anything unkind by you--' + +Just at that moment Grandmagnificolowsky entered with the princess's +supper; and as the princess called 'Puss! puss!' several times, +Glumdalkin was forced at last to present herself, being rather hungry +besides; so she lapped a saucer of cream that her mistress +condescended to pour out for her, much more thankfully than usual, and +then went off to bed, thinking that, after all, she _might_, perhaps, +vouchsafe to remain in the palace; and she dreamt all night that she +was being pursued by wolves in a forest, and was forced to take refuge +in a miserable hut, where she had nothing to eat but a bit of mouldy +cheese, and nothing to drink but a drop of muddy water. + +What did little Friskarina dream about? I can't tell you; but the +first thing she thought of, when she awoke in the morning, was poor +Tibb, and the wretched cold bed she had that night--how different from +her own, with its nice soft warm cushions. + +Glumdalkin got up later than usual, and looked nearly as cross as when +she went to bed; but she said nothing more about going: and +Friskarina took care at breakfast to show her every possible +good-natured attention; she gave her by much the largest share of the +cream, took the draughty side of the hearthrug herself, and, in short, +did everything she could to show that she was anxious to be kind and +civil to her; but all her little politenesses seemed nearly lost upon +Glumdalkin. + +She sate, humped up, all the morning by the fire, with her shoulders +up to her ears, and with a gleam in her eyes, if anybody came near +her, that was positively savage. + +The princess sat in her drawing-room, looking very thoughtful and +rather sad. It was certainly very stupid work in the drawing-room that +morning. + +Friskarina got tired of such dull company, and set off into the +garden. But first of all, she ran down into the court-yard, to have a +little conversation with Bear, the watch-dog, and hear the news. +Moreover, she wanted to find out how Bear's own affairs were going on, +and whether he had enough to eat now. And so, after a little chat +about the weather, and the probability of the wolves coming down from +the mountains, and so forth, she ventured delicately to inquire into +the state of his finances, as regarded bones and such things; and she +learnt, to her great satisfaction, that, since the new cook came into +office, Bear had been living in clover, as it were. Come, thought +Friskarina, that's one good thing, however; now I may keep all my +spare bits for poor Tibb! So, after a little further conversation +about the affairs of the nation, for Bear was a great politician, and +read the 'Canine Guardian' three times a week, and talked very +learnedly about the game laws, the friends parted. Bear laid himself +down to sleep in his kennel, and Friskarina scampered off into the +garden, to watch for Tibb's descent over the wall. + +Punctually as the great bell of the palace rung, Tibb's ears appeared +among the top leaves of the ivy, and in a second she was at her +benefactress's side, looking so much less miserable than she did at +first, that it quite rejoiced Friskarina to look at her. + +And now the house door opened, and out came a page, carrying a large +dish full of chicken bones, slices of meat, pieces of fish, and such +like delicate morsels, and closely followed by Mrs. Glumdalkin, making +such a clamorous mewing that one would have thought she had had no +breakfast. + +Tibb, luckily, was hidden by a low bush; or I would not answer for it +that Glumdalkin would not have flown at her. However, she was too much +taken up with her dinner just then to look about her; for seeing a +beautiful piece of cold sole among the bits on the dish, and being +dreadfully afraid that Friskarina might take a fancy to it, she seized +upon it, and swallowed such a great piece whole, that the back-bone +stuck in her throat, and she could neither get it up nor down. She +coughed--she gasped--but there the bone stuck,--she coughed again, +quite convulsively, still the bone remained immovable; Friskarina, who +was at a little distance, grew very much alarmed, and running up to +her, thumped her on the back; but all in vain, her struggles became +absolutely frightful to witness; she kicked, she groaned--she started +to her feet, and ran, in an agony, like a mad thing, twice round the +grass, shrieking with pain; at length, sinking down, completely +exhausted, she stretched out her limbs, quite stiff, and giving a +fearful groan, breathed her last! + +Friskarina, exceedingly terrified, ran behind the bushes to call Tibb +to her assistance, for she did not know, at first, that Glumdalkin was +really dead: but what was her astonishment to find Tibb gone, and in +the place where she had left her, an odd looking old lady, in a red +satin petticoat, trimmed with gold fringe, a gray cloak, a hat with a +very high crown, and she carried in her hand a long ebony stick, with +a queer silver head to it. + +'Come hither, pretty Friskarina!' cried the old lady; and stooping +down, she patted her back, saying, 'So you were going to save your +own dinner for me, you good little creature.' Friskarina looked at her +with the utmost amazement; and it was not much lessened when the old +Fairy (for it was the princess's aunt), stroking her again, thanked +her for the good lesson she had taught her niece. What a strange old +lady; thought Friskarina, what can she possibly mean? + +Meanwhile, the princess had been looking out of the window, and +perceived her fairy aunt, with a little secret consternation, for she +was rather afraid of her; however, she hastened down stairs to receive +her, wondering all the time what she could be come for. + +'So, niece!' was the old lady's salutation, 'I find you have been +indebted to your cat for the best lesson you have had for this many a +day.' + +The princess stooped down to kiss the fairy's hand. 'It is too true, +indeed, dear aunt;' she replied, 'but I hope it is a lesson which I +shall be the better for as long as I live. I blush to think that I +should have been so long insensible to the wants and miseries of the +poor people who were dwelling so near me, till, as you say, my little +cat's example taught me how selfish and unfeeling I had been.' + +'It is well for you, niece,' said the fairy, 'that you visited the +poor old woman's cottage yesterday, and took her what was needful to +supply her wants; for you little thought,' added the old woman, +laughing rather maliciously, 'that the poor miserable cat, who was +sitting behind the door, was your old aunt. I say, it was lucky for +you that you bethought yourself at last of your duty; or, I promise +you, the last should have been your very last night in your +palace--_that_ it should,' she continued with increasing vehemence, +striking her stick on the ground till the walk rang again. 'Let me +find things _very_ different when I pay you my next visit!' And with +these words, waving her ebony wand in the air, the fairy vanished; and +the princess found that her own fine dress had disappeared too, and +that a gown of plain gray cloth had taken its place. + +But only imagine her consternation when she went into the palace! All +the gay things were gone out of the drawing-room; the thick velvet +curtains no longer hung from the windows--there were no soft easy +chairs--no pretty ornaments; her beautiful silver nautilus-shell, with +its pale blue satin curtains, was gone also; and in its place, there +was a plain little bed, with brown stuff furniture, so exceedingly +ugly and dismal, that the princess declared to herself she should +never be able to get a wink of sleep in it. In short, all her favorite +apartments wore an air of what seemed to her the most utter +desolation. + +Yet the princess had all the necessaries of life left; there was +plenty of bread and meat in the larder, though all the dainty things +were gone; there were coals and wood enough in the cellar; she had a +good bed to lie upon; and her house was a palace still in comparison +with the cottage of the poor old woman who lived near her gate. But +she was some time in finding that out. Poor princess! when she looked +round her drawing-room, she burst into tears. Just then, a voice near +her said, 'They are taken away till you have learnt to pity others, +and to be unselfish!' She turned, and caught a glimpse of the Fairy's +red petticoat disappearing through the door-way. + +When she was sufficiently recovered to go round the house, and see +what was left, she found, to her great satisfaction, that all her +money was spared, and she determined, in future, to make a very +different use of it. + +The melancholy decease of Glumdalkin threw several distinguished +families in Catland into mourning; but I never heard that any body +particularly lamented her. + +'And so the princess and Friskarina went on living together in the +palace?' + +Why no, not exactly: but you shall hear about it. One fine bright +morning, not many days after the Fairy's visit, Friskarina was +sitting, all by herself, on the drawing-room window-seat, thinking +over all the wonderful things that had happened, when suddenly she +saw, flying past the house, a pair of milk-white doves, with silver +collars round their necks, and bearing between them what seemed to be +a small white box, which they gently placed upon the lawn, and then +they flew away. The white box grew taller and taller, larger and +larger; till, in a few minutes, there stood the loveliest little +cottage you ever beheld. Its walls were of the richest carved +ivory--there were two parlors in it, one for the winter, which faced +the south, and was lined with crimson velvet, and the other for +summer, hung with sea-green silk. The chairs and tables were of +satin-wood; the cups and saucers of the prettiest porcelain; and there +were crystal flower-pots in the windows, filled with maiden-blush +roses and lilies-of-the-valley. Over the door was written in golden +letters, + + 'A PRESENT FOR FRISKARINA.' + +I do not think you ever beheld such a charming dwelling for a cat; +and Friskarina took possession of it, and commenced housekeeping +directly, and the princess presented her with a superb silver +cream-jug, towards her stock of furniture. And, as there were more +rooms in her cottage than she wanted for her own use, Friskarina took +in six infirm, homeless cats, advanced in life, and provided for them +as long as they lived; and when they died, she supplied their places +with others, equally necessitous. As Glumdalkin died without a will, +Friskarina, being her nearest relation, of course, succeeded to her +property, which chiefly consisted of that delightful soft bed, of +yellow satin, which I told you about before, and which, together with +her own, Friskarina immediately set aside for the use of the two +oldest and most rheumatic cats in her establishment. + +And now I must tell you a little more about the princess: when the +Fairy paid her next visit to her, which was in about a year's time, +she found a great change for the better in her. Instead of lying in +her bed half the morning, she was up by six; instead of sitting all +day on the sofa, reading nothing but story-books and silly fairy-tales +(which, of course, sensible people never read), she studied wise books +of history and geography, and made flannel petticoats, and knitted +warm stockings for the poor, and went to see them at their own +dwellings: in short, she had become as useful as she had been idle and +selfish before. The wretched huts at her gate were gone, and in their +place was a very pretty row of cottages; and such nice, neat old +people lived in them--for, as for the young and healthy, the princess +ordered them to go out into the world and earn their own livelihood. + +'But, did the princess ever get back her fine things?' + +Why that is rather a puzzling question. Some people say that she never +did: others believe that the Fairy made her the offer of them, but +that she declined it, thinking that she should, perhaps, grow too fond +of them again: while some other people say, that the Fairy gave her +back those things which her high station as a princess required, but, +that the young lady herself begged her to keep those things which +would only have tended to make her vain and self-indulgent. And I am +very much disposed myself to think that this account of the matter is +the true one. + +[Illustration] + + + + +THE DISCONTENTED CAT. + + +Once upon a time--I can't say exactly when it was--there stood a neat, +tidy little hut on the borders of a wild forest. A poor old woman +dwelt in this hut. She lived on the whole pretty comfortably; for, +though she was poor, she was able to keep a few goats, that supplied +her with milk, and a flock of chickens, that gave her fresh eggs every +morning: and then she had a small garden, which she cultivated with +her own hands, and that supplied her with cabbages and other +vegetables, besides gooseberries and apples for dumplings. Her goats +browsed upon the short grass just outside the garden, and her chickens +ran about everywhere, and picked up everything they could find. There +were some fine old trees which defended the cottage on three sides +from the cold winds, and the front was to the south; so it was very +snug and sheltered. The forest afforded her sticks and young logs for +fuel, so that she never was in want of a fire; and, altogether, she +managed to make out a pretty comfortable life of it, as times went. + +The only friend and companion the old woman had, was her gray cat. Now, +the cat was a middle-aged cat: she had arrived at a time of life when +people grow reflective; and she sat by the hearth and reflected very +often. What did she reflect about? That is rather a long story. You +must know, then, that a few leagues from the old woman's hut, on the +other side of the forest, there rose a grand castle, belonging to a +very great baron. And sometimes, on fine summer mornings, as the old +woman and the cat were sitting in the sunshine, by the door, the old +woman at her spinning-wheel, and puss curled up for a nap after her +breakfast, the forest would suddenly ring with the sound of +hunting-horns, shouts and laughter; and a train of gay ladies and +richly dressed gentlemen would sweep by on horseback, with hawk and +hound, and followed by servants in splendid liveries; for the baron was +fond of hawking and hunting, and frequently took those diversions in +the neighboring forests. Now, it so happened, that in one of the tall +trees behind the cottage, there lived a magpie: not by any means an +ordinary magpie, but a bird that had seen a good deal of the world; +indeed, at one time of her life, she had, as she took care to inform +every body, lived in the service of the Countess Von +Rustenfustenmustencrustenberg. How she happened to leave such a grand +situation, the magpie never explained: to be sure, some ill-natured +people _did_ say that there had been an awkward story about the loss of +one of the countess's diamond bracelets, which was found one fine +morning, in the inside of a hollow tree in the garden; and that Mag was +turned away in disgrace directly. But how the matter really was, I +cannot say: all that I know is, that she took up her abode half-way up +one of the large oaks, behind the old woman's hut, a long time before +our story begins; and that, being of a particularly sociable and chatty +disposition, she soon established an ardent friendship with the cat, +and they became the greatest cronies in the world. So when, as I said +just now, the baron's grand hunting parties swept past, they afforded +the magpie a fine opportunity for displaying her knowledge of life and +the world. And sometimes, too, she would dwell at great length on the +splendor and happiness she had enjoyed while she lived with the +countess in her palace, till the cat's fur almost stood on end to hear +the wonders she related.--What a place that palace must have been! very +different, indeed, from the old woman's cottage! + +Now, these conversations with the magpie sadly unsettled the mind of +the cat; more particularly when the magpie related to her how daintily +the Countess Von Rustenfustenmustencrustenberg's cat always +lived--what nice bits of chicken she dined upon, what delicious +morsels of buttered crumpet she often had for breakfast, what soft +cushions she lay upon, and a great deal more to the same purpose: all +which made a powerful impression upon our humble friend. So she sate +and reflected by the fire, while the good old woman, her mistress, +went on spinning the wool which she sold afterwards at the nearest +town, to buy food and clothes. + +The more the cat talked to the magpie, the more dissatisfied she +became with her present condition; till, at last, I am sadly afraid +that when, in a morning, the old woman gave her her breakfast of +goats' milk with some nice brown bread broken into it, she began +rather to despise it, instead of taking it thankfully, as she ought to +have done, for she was really very comfortably off in the +cottage--having bread and milk every morning and night, and something +for dinner too; besides what mice she could catch, to say nothing of a +stray robin or sparrow now and then. But, as I said just now, the +magpie's chattering stories unsettled her; she thought it would be so +charming to dine upon bits of roast chicken, and have buttered +crumpets for breakfast, and fine cushions to lie upon, like the +countess's cat. All this was very silly, no doubt; but she wanted +experience: she knew nothing of the thousands and thousands of poor +cats who would have thought _her_ life quite luxurious. It is a very +bad thing to get unsettled; it sets people wishing and doing many +foolish things. + +One fine bright evening, the magpie was perched upon a projecting +bough of her oak, and the cat, who thought the cottage particularly +dull that day, had come out for a little gossip. + +'Good evening!' screamed the magpie, as soon as she saw her; 'do come +up here and let us talk politics a little.' So the cat climbed up, and +seated herself on another bough a little below. + +'You look out of spirits to-day;' began the magpie, bending down a +very inquisitive eye to her friend's face; I am afraid you are not +well; but I'm not surprised: that old sparrow I saw you eating for +dinner must have been as tough as leather; it is no wonder you are ill +after it! You should really be more careful, and only catch the nice +tender young ones.' + +'Thank you,' replied the cat, in a rather melancholy tone; 'I am +perfectly well.' + +'Then what in the world ails you, my dear friend?' + +'I don't know,' answered the cat; 'but I believe I am getting rather +tired of staying here all my life.' + +'Ah!' exclaimed the magpie, 'I know what that is--I feel for you, +puss! you may well be moped, living in that stupid cottage all day. +You are not like myself, now; _I_ have had such advantages! I declare +to you I can amuse myself the whole day with the recollection of the +wonderful things I have seen when I lived in the great world.' + +'There it is!' interrupted the cat; 'to think of the difference in +people's situations! Just compare my condition, in this wretched hole +of a hut, with the life that you say the countess's cat lives. I'm +sure I can hardly eat my sop in the morning for thinking of her +buttered crumpets--dear! dear! it's a fine thing to be born in a +palace!' + +'Indeed,' replied the magpie, 'there is a great deal of truth in what +you say; and sometimes I half repent of having retired from her +service myself; but there's a great charm in liberty--it is pleasant +to feel able to fly about wherever one likes, and have no impertinent +questions asked.' + +'Does the countess's cat ever do any work?' inquired puss. + +'Not a bit,' answered the magpie. 'I don't suppose she ever caught a +mouse in her life; why should she? She has plenty to eat and drink, +and nothing to do but to sleep or play all day long.' + +'What a life!' ejaculated the cat; 'and here am I, obliged to take the +trouble to catch birds or anything I can, if I want to make out my +dinner,--what a world it is!' + +'Your most obedient servant, ladies!' just at that moment hooted an +old owl from a neighboring fir-tree; 'a fine evening to you!' + +'Dear me, Mr. Owl! how you made me jump!' cried the magpie, rather +pettishly; 'I had nearly toppled down from the bough--' + +To say the truth, the magpie did not particularly fancy the owl's +company--he was apt to come out with very rude things sometimes; +besides, he was reckoned a very sensible bird, and Mag always declared +she hated sensible birds--they were so dreadfully dull, and thought +themselves so much wiser than other people. + +'I beg pardon--I am afraid I have interrupted an interesting +discourse,' began the owl, observing that his salutation had rather +discomposed the magpie. + +The cat, however, was not sorry to have the opportunity of imparting +her griefs and perplexities to a bird who was so generally respected +for his wisdom; so she replied:-- + +'Why, indeed, my dear sir, we were conversing upon the lamentable +differences there are in the world.' + +'You may well say that,' answered the owl, giving a blink with his +left eye. 'I suppose, now, ma'am,' he added, rather dryly, turning to +the magpie, 'your ladyship finds a good deal of difference between +your present abode, and the countess's grand palace-garden? I only +wonder how you could bring yourself to make such a change--at your +time of life, especially.' + +What an abominable uncivil speech, thought the magpie; she fidgeted +upon the branch, drew herself up, and muttered something between her +beak about the propriety of people attending to their own concerns. + +'But _you_, my dear cat,' continued the owl, 'you have every reason, I +should think, to be perfectly satisfied with your lot in life?' + +'I am not so sure of that,' said the cat; '_I_ think I have a good +many reasons for being quite the contrary; the countess's cat has +buttered crumpets and cream for breakfast, and sleeps on a beautiful +soft cushion all night, and all day too, if she likes it: and just +look what a dull life of it I lead here! and I have nothing but the +hearth to lie upon, and nothing for breakfast but milk and brown +bread!' + +'And you ought to be thankful you can get that!' cried the owl, quite +angrily. 'I tell you what, Mrs. Puss, I have seen more of the world +than you have, and I just say this for your comfort--if you could see +how _some_ poor cats live, you would be glad enough of your present +condition.' + +'Humph!' muttered the cat, 'I really don't know how you have contrived +to see so much of the world, sitting as you do in a tree all day, +blinking your eyes as if you couldn't bear a ray of sunshine: now, +with all due submission to your superior wisdom, I should think the +magpie ought to know something of life, after the high society she has +lived in,--and I do say it is a shame that one cat should have +buttered crumpets and cream for breakfast, just because she happens +to live in a palace, while another has only brown sop, because _she_ +happens to live in a cottage!' + +'But suppose,' replied the owl, 'that some other cat, who lives in a +cellar, and never gets anything to eat, except what she can pick up in +the gutters, should take it into her head to say, "What a shame it is +that some cats should have nice snug cottages over their heads, and +warm hearths to sit by, and bread and milk for breakfast, while I am +obliged to live in this horrid cold cellar, and never know how to get +a mouthful?"' + +The cat was rather disconcerted by this observation at first; but +presently answered: + +'My dear Mr. Owl, don't let us exaggerate,--you can't seriously mean +to say there are any cats in the world in such a condition as you +speak of? I am sure the magpie, with all her experience of life, would +have told me about it, if it were really so--you must be mistaken.' + +The magpie, by this time, had become exceedingly tired of such a long +silence, and was beginning to think that she had stood upon her +dignity quite long enough. + +'You will excuse me, my worthy friend,' she said, turning to the owl, +'but really you do sit there so, day after day, blinking in the sun, +without a soul to speak to, that I don't wonder at your taking very +strange fancies into your head. I can only say, that during the whole +of my residence in the palace of the Countess Von +Rustenfustenmustencrustenberg, my late respected mistress, _I_ never +came in contact with any cat in the condition you are pleased to +imagine; and I should know something of the world, I think.' + +'Well,' replied the owl, quietly, 'I will not dispute your ladyship's +knowledge of the world, but I strongly advise our friend Mrs. Puss to +remain contented at home, and not try to improve her fortune by going +into the town: people should learn to know when they are well off.' + +Just then, patter, patter, patter, came a few large drops through the +leaves; the magpie making a prodigious chattering, and declaring that +a tremendous storm was coming on, flew down from the bough; and, +whispering the cat not to mind what the owl said--'a stupid old +bird!'--she presently hid herself, very snug, in a hollow place in the +trunk: not very sorry, to say the truth, to break up the conversation. +The owl very deliberately nestled himself in a thick bush of ivy that +grew near, and the cat ran into the cottage, to sit by the fire and +reflect; for between her two friends, her mind was a little perplexed. + +The old woman shut the cottage door, heaped some dry fir-logs on the +fire, and sate down to her spinning-wheel. The rain pelted against the +shutters, the wind howled in the tree-tops, and roared loudly in the +forest behind the hut; it was a terrible night out of doors, but +within the cottage it was snug enough,--the fire was blazing merrily, +the old woman's wheel turned briskly round, the kettle was singing a +low quiet song to itself beside the crackling logs, and the cat was +sitting on the hearth, looking warm and comfortable. But I am afraid +she was not at all comfortable--in her mind; for discontented people +seldom are. It never entered her head to consider whether there were +any poor cats abroad that night, without a shelter over them; for +grumblers are always selfish, and never think of the wants of others. +In fact, she could think of nothing, just at that time, but the +luxuries enjoyed by the fortunate cats who might happen to be born in +grand palaces; so, curled up in the warmest corner of the hearth, she +sate watching the little spouts of flame that kept flashing up from +the pine logs, and wishing, for the hundredth time that day, that she +had had the good luck to be a palace cat. Presently a very strange +thing happened to her. + +All of a sudden she felt something very lightly touch her coat; and +looking round, there stood, close by her, the most beautiful little +thing that anybody ever dreamt of. She was not many inches high; her +robe seemed made of gold and silver threads, fine as gossamer, woven +together: on her head she wore a circlet of diamonds, so small and +bright, that they looked like sparks of fire, and in her tiny hand she +bore a long and very slight silver wand--it was more like a very, +_very_ fine knitting-pin than anything else. + +The cat looked at her with unutterable astonishment: it was very odd +that the old woman did not seem to see her at all. + +The beautiful little lady looked at the cat for a minute or two very +steadily, and then said, 'You are wishing for something; what is it?' + +By this time the cat had sufficiently recovered from her consternation +to be able to speak: so she answered, 'Please your majesty, whoever +you are, you have guessed right for once--I _am_ wishing for +something: I wish to live in the palace of the magpie's grand +countess!' + +Wonderful to relate--the words were no sooner spoken, than the Fairy +struck her wand upon the floor three times, and lo! and behold! +instantly there appeared--though how it got there, I can't imagine--a +car made of four large scallop shells joined together, and lined with +rich velvet; the wheels were studded with the whitest pearls, and it +was drawn by eight silver pheasants. The Fairy seated herself inside, +and told the cat to jump in after her. Puss obeyed, and in an instant +the hut, the old woman, the little garden, all had vanished! and she +and the Fairy were sailing through the air as fast as the eight +pheasants could fly. + +'Where in the world are we going, please your majesty?' said poor +puss, in a dreadfully frightened tone, clinging to the sides of the +car with her claws, that she might not be tossed out. 'Hush!' said the +Fairy, in a voice so solemn, that the cat did not venture to ask +another question. + +On--on--on they flew, till the gloomy forest was left far behind; the +storm had subsided; and, as the moon came out from behind the clouds, +the cat perceived they were passing over a wild moorland country. +On--on, the birds flew, and the wild heath swelled into mountains, and +sank again into plain and valley; and they heard beneath them, like +the distant sea, the rustling of the wind among clumps of pine-trees. +On--on, the birds flew, till, at length there appeared, far before +them, the glimmering lights and dim outlines of a stately city. +On--on, the birds flew, and the city grew nearer and nearer; turrets +and spires and ancient gables rose in the bright moonlight, and the +houses grew thicker and thicker together. + +At length the pheasants flew more slowly, and the cat saw that they +were approaching a very magnificent palace. How her heart beat, partly +with fright, partly with the rapid motion, partly with expectation! +Yes, they were evidently drawing near to a magnificent palace. It had +high towers and curiously carved gateways, that threw strange deep +shadows upon the walls, and the panes of the lattices glittered like +diamonds in the moon-beams, and the smoke from the chimneys curled up +into the cat's face, and got down her throat, and made her sneeze +dreadfully--she wondered how the Fairy could bear it. But now, slowly, +slowly, slowly, the wonderful car began to descend, till it was just +on a level with one of the windows, which happened, very conveniently, +to have been left wide open: so in flew the pheasants, car and all, +and alighted on the hearth-rug. 'Jump out--be quick!' cried the Fairy. +The cat did not wait to be told twice--she was out in a twinkling; but +before she could turn her head round, car, Fairy, and pheasants had +vanished, and she was left alone in the strange room. 'To be sure,' +she exclaimed to herself, 'was there ever anything so extraordinary?' +What an adventure! And what a room it was! It was so large, that three +or four huts, like her old mistress's, would have stood in it. The +floor was covered with something so thick, so warm, and so beautiful, +all over flowers in bright colors, that she had never seen anything +like it before: in short, everything in the room was so fine, or so +soft, or so large, or so bright, that the cat could not conceive what +such strange things could be meant for. + +However, she soon decided that the hearth-rug was the most delightful +bed she had ever reposed upon; and, stretching out her limbs upon it, +before the huge fire that was burning in the grate, she strove to +collect her bewildered ideas ere she proceeded any further to +investigate these unknown regions. Suddenly the door opened. + +'Dear! what a pretty cat!' exclaimed a waiting-maid, entering the +room; 'and just as we were wanting another, too: my lady, the +countess, will be quite pleased.' Then, coming up to the cat, she took +her in her arms, and began stroking her most affectionately. 'Pretty +pussy! how could you ever get into the room? O I see they have left +the window open, so you have wandered in out of the street, poor +little cat! It's really quite lucky, just as the old one is dead.' So +saying, she again stroked the cat, and carried her away with her into +an inner room, where there sat an old lady in an easy chair by the +fire, apparently employed in eating her supper. + +'Please your ladyship,' said the waiting-woman, 'here's a poor cat +come into the house to-night, just as we were wanting one--will your +ladyship be pleased to let it remain here?' + +'To be sure,' said the old Countess Von Rustenfustenmustencrustenberg +(for it was she); 'it has just come in to supply the place of poor old +Finette: put it into Finette's bed to-night, Ermengarde, and give it a +good meal first, for I dare say it is hungry enough, poor creature! +But, first, bring it here, and let me stroke it.' + +You may imagine how puss purred her very loudest as the countess +patted her, and called her a pretty cat. She thought herself now the +luckiest cat in the world: how she wished that spiteful old owl could +but know about it! Ermengarde, the waiting-woman, now took her back +into the room she had first entered, and setting her down on the +hearth-rug, went out. Presently she returned, and placed before the +cat a dish, containing such a supper, as had never entered her +imagination till the magpie enlightened her on these subjects: it was +some minutes before she could believe it; was it _real_? However, she +did it full justice in time; and then, after a great deal more patting +and petting, the maid again took her up, and deposited her by the side +of the fire, in a very pretty basket lined with soft cushions. And +could she go to sleep? Not for some time, in spite of her long ride. +It all seemed so strange--so wonderful! that she, who had been longing +for months to belong to the household of the Countess Von +Rustenfustenmustencrustenberg, should now be actually in her palace! +It was extraordinary indeed. But she fell asleep at last. + +The next morning the cat was awake early, and the sun was shining +through the satin curtains of the splendid room, and everything in it +looked so _very_ beautiful! How different from the old woman's hut! So +the cat sate up in the basket, and looked about her. After she had +thus amused herself in this way for some time, Ermengarde opened the +door. + +'Well, Pussy,' she said, 'so you are wide awake, and ready, I dare +say, for your breakfast.' + +Now for the buttered crumpets! thought the cat. The maid went out, and +quickly returned with a large saucer full of rich milk, with some roll +crumbled into it. No buttered crumpets. + +The cat felt a sort of blank feeling of disappointment; it was very +odd: but perhaps she should have some another morning. However, she +made an exceedingly good breakfast, as it was; but it must be +confessed she was a little cross all day. Soon after breakfast, the +old countess came in, followed by a lap-dog--a fat, spoilt, +disagreeable looking animal, and the cat took a dislike to him at +first sight. And as for the dog, he almost growled out aloud when the +countess stooped down to stroke the cat. It was evident that the +hatred was quite mutual. + +'Now, Viper,' said the old lady, 'be good! you know you are my own +darling, that you are; but you must not quarrel with poor pussy: no +fighting you know, Viper!' + +Whereupon Viper struggled down out of his mistress's arms, for she had +taken him up to bestow a kiss upon him, and giving a short snarl, by +way of showing his perfect contempt for her admonition, he mounted +upon a stool before the fire, and sat eyeing his new acquaintance with +such a fierce pair of eyes, that the poor cat really shook all over, +and wished herself safe out of the palace again. However, whenever the +countess left the room, she always called Viper away too; so they were +not left together at all the first day. On the following, the cat +began to get used to Viper's cross looks, and did not mind him so +much: and the old lady petted and made so much of her, that she +thought no cat had ever been so fortunate before. As to that, we shall +see. + +Dinner-time came: and as Viper was to dine with the cat, Ermengarde +brought in _two_ plates this time, and to work they fell with all +their might. Viper had nearly eaten up all his own dinner, and the cat +was saving a beautiful merrythought for her last _tit-bit_, when, as +ill luck would have it, the countess was suddenly called out of the +room. + +Instantly, with a growl that sounded in the cat's ears like thunder, +Viper darted full at the merrythought, exclaiming: + +'You vile little wretch of a stray cat, do you suppose I shall suffer +you to come in here, and rob me of my bones?' + +'Indeed, my lord,' said the cat, dreadfully frightened, 'I did not +mean to take more than my share!' + +'And pray, madam,' screamed Viper, 'what do you mean by that? Do you +intend to insinuate that I have taken more than mine? Now, Mrs. Puss, +just listen to me once for all,--if you give me any more of your +impertinence, I'll worry you to death in two minutes!' + +Poor puss! she trembled so from head to tail, that she could hardly +stand: but just as she was going to beseech him not to be offended, +the countess came in again; and as she soon afterwards took Viper out +an airing with her, the cat saw no more of him for that afternoon. +Poor puss! she had a great deal of sorrowful reflection all that +evening. The result of it was, that she very seriously asked herself +what she had gained by leaving her mistress's cottage? To be sure, she +had cream for breakfast, and chicken for dinner, but what was that, +if, every mouthful she ate, she was in fear of that savage brute of a +dog snatching away her meal, or even attacking and worrying her? + +Fifty times did she wish herself a hundred leagues off. How careful +she resolved to be to do nothing that could possibly offend the dog. +And so, for the next three or four days, by dint of giving up to him +all her best bones, and always jumping down from her cushion whenever +he wanted to lie upon it, and looking the picture of humility whenever +he was in the room, she contrived to get on in tolerable peace with +him. But unluckily, one morning, puss, finding herself all alone in +the drawing-room, and everything quiet, and feeling very sleepy (for +she had had very little repose the night before, from distress of +mind), thought she might as well take the opportunity of getting a +nap; so she jumped upon a high footstool, beside the fire, and was +soon fast asleep. How long she had napped she could not tell, when she +was awakened by a furious barking; and opening her eyes, she saw Viper +standing at a little distance, looking as if he was going into fits +with passion. + +Poor puss! she recollected, all in a moment, that she had got upon +Viper's own footstool! She jumped down before you could count one. + +'You audacious little upstart!' cried the dog, as soon as his rage +allowed him to speak, 'do you think I shall submit to such impertinent +liberties?' + +'Indeed, indeed,' stammered the poor cat, 'I humbly beg your +lordship's pardon, but I really quite forgot----' + +'Forgot, indeed!' roared Viper, 'I'll teach you to forget, Mrs. Puss!' +and making a tremendous dash at her, he would doubtless have +demolished her in no time, had not, fortunately, the window been open +a little, just enough for the cat to get through. + +She was on the window-seat in an instant, and had scrambled out of the +window before Viper, who was very fat, could come up to her. It was +with some difficulty that he got up upon the window-seat, and quite in +vain that he tried to squeeze his fat body through the opening of the +window. How he growled with disappointed passion, as he stood on his +hind-legs on the window-seat, stretching his head, as far as his +little short neck would allow, through the opening, to see what had +become of puss. + +What _had_ become of her? She had dropt down into the street, and had +crept into the shade of one of the heavy broad stone-carvings beneath +the window, knowing that there she was safe enough for the present; +and she lay down, panting with the fright, to recover her breath a +little, and consider what was to be done. To go back to the palace was +clearly out of the question. But then where could she go? Poor cat! +what a perplexity she was in! She lay snug for the best part of an +hour before she durst venture out of her hiding-place. At last, +cautiously peeping about her, she crept out, and ran, with all her +speed, down the street, not knowing in the least whither she was +flying. She had not gone far before she attracted the attention of a +group of children, who were playing in the street. Shouting, whooping, +and laughing, they pursued her. She redoubled her speed, and darting +suddenly down a little side alley, was soon out of sight of her +pursuers. She heard their screams and yellings, growing fainter and +fainter, in the distance; and feeling that the immediate danger had +past, she relaxed her pace, and looked to see where she was. She found +that she was in a little, dirty, miserable court, open at the end, +through which she saw trees and green fields. But she thought it would +be very hazardous to loiter; so she ran on, and in a short time found +that she had left the town behind her, and was once more in the open +country. Dreading lest she might encounter any more dogs, she +carefully avoided approaching any human habitation; so she glided +along among the grass, till she came to a small clump of trees, which +put her in mind of the forest near her old mistress's hut. Seeing no +better prospect of shelter for the night, she climbed up into the +largest of the trees, knowing that, at least, she should be out of the +way of _dogs_ there; and finding a snug place among the branches in +the middle of the tree (for, though it was autumn, yet the leaves were +still pretty thick), she made up her mind to pass the night there. + +But it wanted some hours yet of night: and what was she to do for +supper? It was not at all a pleasant consideration. Moreover, her +squabble with Viper had taken place _before_ dinner; and now there was +no prospect of any supper but such as she could earn by her own +exertions. Perhaps she might, with good luck, catch a robin before +night; but that could very ill supply the place of the nice bits of +fowl, and saucers of rich milk, that Ermengarde gave her every night. +However, she was too glad to be safe and snug up in the tree, to be +very particular. So she made up her mind to lie there till it grew +towards roosting-time, and then see what she could find for supper. +She peeped out as well as she could between the branches to see what +the surrounding country was like; it all looked quite wild and +lonely, and she saw but few dwellings anywhere near the clump of +trees. + +Her place of refuge seemed at a considerable distance from the +high-road; so she hoped she was tolerably safe from both men and dogs. + +At length the cold dews of the evening began to fall, and the little +birds began to return home to their trees: so the cat ventured to +descend and look about for her supper. I am sorry to say, that being +by this time exceedingly hungry, she obeyed the dictates of nature, +and in a very few minutes had attacked and devoured a dear little +robin, that might have sung merrily all through the autumn, if puss +had only been _contented_, and staid quietly at home in the cottage. +Be that as it may, poor little Redbreast fell a victim to her hunger, +and yet she considered him but a very poor supper, after all. He was +the best she could get that night, however; for the other birds proved +too nimble for her: so, weary and hungry, puss climbed up her tree +again, and was soon asleep--for she was very tired indeed, with all +she had done that day. The next morning, when she awoke, her limbs +felt quite stiff; for the night had been frosty, and she was very +cold. But there was no fire in the tree; so she had nothing for it but +to crawl down, and try to warm herself with catching a bird for her +breakfast. She was so benumbed, that she could hardly get down, and +her bones ached as if she had got the rheumatism all over her: +however, jumping about after the birds revived her by degrees, and she +began to feel in a little better spirits; till, spying, at a distance +on the high-road, a carriage with a large dog running after it, all +her panic returned, and she climbed up into her tree again with all +expedition. But the carriage rolled along, and took no notice of puss; +and the rumbling of the wheels soon died away, and all was quiet +again. + +What a melancholy long day it seemed! and, moreover, she could hardly +catch a bird--they all seemed to fly away from the trees, instead of +settling upon them; and puss had really hard work to get any dinner at +all that day. And then the night was _so_ cold again. Many a time when +she awoke, and felt the frosty wind whistling round the trees, +stripping away more and more of the leaves at every gust, did the poor +cat, in her cold and hunger, think of the nice bright fire on her old +mistress's hearth, and her brown bread and milk, till she was ready to +cry her eyes out with vexation at her own folly--and what was still +worse, her own ingratitude--in being willing to leave the good old +woman, her best friend, who had taken care of her all her life long, +merely because she fancied it would be very grand to live in a palace. +People sometimes find out their mistakes when it is too late. + +But, to make a long story short--three or four more days and +nights--melancholy days, and cold wretched nights--passed over in much +the same miserable way, or, rather, things grew worse: for the +weather became stormy, the trees were almost stripped of their +leaves, so that they scarcely afforded her any shelter from the wind, +and the cat was so dreadfully cold! + +It became still more difficult, too, to procure any food; and the +birds became very shy of venturing within her reach: the poor cat did +not know what to do--she was really half dead with cold and hunger! + +'Oh!' groaned she, stretching herself out upon some of the fallen +leaves at the foot of the tree--'Oh, that I had never listened to that +deceitful, mischievous magpie!' + +And, indeed, she had good cause to say so. + +It was drawing towards sunset; there had been several storms during +the day, but, as the evening came on, the weather had a little cleared +up; and a gleam of sunshine just then shot out from among the black +clouds, and fell upon something glittering beside her. + +She lifted her eyes languidly, for she had no strength to be alert +now, and saw the bright and beautiful Fairy, with her car drawn by +the silver pheasants. + +'Have you learnt yet to be contented with plain fare at home?' said +the Fairy to the cat, with an expression in her countenance that the +cat could hardly make out: she did not know whether her strange +visitor meant to be kind or not to her. + +'Oh! if you would but take me back to my old mistress again!' cried +the poor cat, clasping her paws in an agony of entreaty, 'I would +never be discontented any more!' + +The Fairy smiled, and touching her lightly with her silver wand, bade +her close her eyes--another moment, and she bade her open them; and, +most wonderful of all the wonderful things that had happened to her, +the trees, the country, the distant city, all were gone! There was a +charming log-fire on the hearth, sparkling and crackling; whirr, +whirr, whirr, went the old woman's wheel, and there she sate in her +chair just as usual; and the wind was blowing, and the rain was +pelting against the shutters, exactly as it did the very night puss +had left the cottage in such a mysterious way. In fact, everything +looked _precisely_ the same. The cat rubbed her eyes, but nothing +could she see of the Fairy, or the car, or the silver pheasants. + +However, had she got back, and so quick too? And the old woman did not +seem at all surprised to see her--it was very odd. She could not make +it out anyhow: at last it struck her that, perhaps, she might have +been dreaming, and never have been out of the hut at all. Yet those +terrible growls of Viper's, and those dismal days and nights in the +trees--no, they _must_ have been real! Still, it was very strange that +the old woman should take no more notice of her, if she had been +lost--how could it be? It was really unaccountable. + +But her perplexities were interrupted by the cheerful voice of her old +mistress calling out, 'Come, my pussy! it is supper-time!' and as she +spoke, she rose up from her spinning-wheel, and taking down some eggs +and a cake of brown bread, with a large jug, from her corner cupboard, +she broke the eggs into the frying-pan, and they were soon hissing and +sputtering over the fire. Then she placed a large saucer on the table, +and broke some bread into it; and returning to the fire, she took off +the frying-pan, and emptied the eggs into a dish on the table, and sat +down to her supper. But before she tasted a bit herself, she poured +some nice goat's milk over the bread in a saucer, and set it down on +the hearth before the cat. + +Now I will venture to say, puss never ate a meal in her life half so +thankfully before. She made a resolution, between every mouthful, +never to say one word to that silly chattering magpie again; and never +to indulge in any more foolish wishes, but to stay at home, do her +duty in catching her mistress's mice, and be contented, and thankful +for the brown bread and milk, without troubling her head about +countesses and buttered crumpets any more. + +And I am happy to be able to tell you that she faithfully kept her +resolution. She never spoke to the magpie afterwards; but contracted a +steady friendship with the owl, which lasted to the day of his death; +and when he did die, which was not till he had attained a venerable +old age, he bequeathed to her his share of the mice that infested the +neighborhood of the cottage. + +As to the magpie, finding that her company was no longer desired in +that part of the world, she very wisely took her flight far away to +the other side of the wood. + +Whether she still lives there, and goes on chattering about the grand +things she used to see in the palace of the Countess Von +Rustenfustenmustencrustenberg, is more than I can inform you. If you +want to ascertain that fact, you must go to the northern part of the +Duchy of Kittencorkenstringen, and then you must walk seventeen +leagues and three quarters still further north, and then you must turn +off to your right, just where you see the old fir-stump with the +rook's nest in it; and then you must walk eleven leagues and a +quarter more, and then turn to your left, and after you have kept +straight on for about fifteen leagues more, you will see the wood +where the magpie lives;--and then, if you walk quite through it to the +other side, you will see the old woman's cottage; and if it should +happen to be a fine day, I dare say you will see her sitting in the +sunshine spinning, and, curled round beside her, the contented cat. + +[Illustration] + + + + +THE WISHING-DAY. + + +Long, long ago, in the glorious reign of King Huggermuggerus, there +lived in an ancient castle a highly respectable cat and his wife. They +led a very comfortable life of it, for the castle belonged to an old +baron who kept very little company, and was very fond of his cats: so +it was very rarely that any strange dogs were admitted within the +walls; and the cats breakfasted every morning with their master. They +had only two children; all the rest of their numerous family having +been barbarously drowned by the housekeeper, who was a very cross old +woman, and did not like cats, nor anything else very much. But the +cats did not trouble their heads much about her; in fact, they had +very little to do with her, for they were allowed full liberty to +wander about the castle at their pleasure. + +It was a delightful old castle, full of such queer odd nooks and +corners, that one might have been lost in it for days together; and +there were long corridors, in which the kittens used to run races on +moonlight nights, when the old housekeeper was safe in bed, and make +such a racket, it would have done your heart good to hear them. But +they chiefly took possession of a charming old room, hung with +tapestry representing all sorts of strange things, and very convenient +for the two kittens to play at hide-and-seek behind it; and as the +room faced the south, they got all the sun to warm them. The elder of +them was called _Wishie_, the younger _Contenta_. Their papa and mamma +had given them these names, because Wishie was always saying she +wished she had this, and she wished she had that, and never seemed +satisfied unless she had everything she mewed for: while Contenta, on +the contrary, was of the sweetest disposition in the world, and always +pleased with what was given to her. One would have thought that +neither of them could have had anything to wish for; for they had +plenty to eat and drink--nice long galleries to run about in--no dogs +or children to tease them--and a garden with many tall trees, and +abundance of sparrows. What could they want besides? + +One bright summer-day, the sun was shining splendidly--the flowers +were in full bloom--the air was laden with sweet scents from the +honey-suckles and moss-roses, and the larks were singing away high up +in the sky, as merry as if they had all gone out for a holiday, when +Wishie took it into her head to have a stroll in the garden. Now, it +so happened that Contenta, who had been keeping the baron company at +his breakfast, had carried off into the garden a very nice +chicken-bone which her master had given her. So she sat down under a +rose-tree to eat it. But she did not remain there long before Wishie +spied her out. 'Well, to be sure!' exclaimed she to her herself, as +she drew near the rose-bush, 'What a bone Contenta has got there! She +has been breakfasting with our master, that's very clear. I'm sure +nobody ever gives _me_ such great bones! I wish Contenta would let me +have a bit of it--;' and so saying, she threw herself down beside her +sister, pretending to look very tired and hungry, and whined out, 'Do, +Contenta, give me a bit! I am so hungry!' + +'Willingly,' replied Contenta, who was very good-natured; 'but have +you had no breakfast, Wishie, this morning?' + +'O, nothing to speak of,' said Wishie, falling tooth and claw upon the +bone; and in a very few minutes she had devoured by far the largest +share of it. Now, I don't mean to say that Contenta was such an +unnaturally amiable cat, as to be exactly well pleased to see her +breakfast disappear in such a wholesale fashion; but she consoled +herself with reflecting, that dinner would come some time or other; +and being, as I said, very good-natured, she made Wishie very welcome +to the bone, and began frisking after the leaves upon the +gravel-walk. I am sorry to say, that when Wishie had devoured the +chicken-bone, she did not seem half so much ashamed of her selfish +conduct as she ought to have been; but, seeing a fine plump little +sparrow perch himself upon the branch of an old tree near, she sprung +up the stem after him. Now it was really very greedy of her, but +however she _did_ it, and some wonderful things happened in +consequence. The tree was very old, and the trunk was quite hollow; +but that Wishie did not know; so when she had clambered up to the top +she suddenly found herself on the brink of a frightful abyss--there +seemed a hollow deep down to the very roots of the tree. She peeped +cautiously down to see what she could see, but somehow or other, +whether she overbalanced herself, or whether a bit of the bark gave +way, or how it was I can't tell, but Wishie tipped over, and tumbled +headlong into the hollow of the tree. But as she luckily fell into a +bed of thick moss she was not the worse; and giving herself a shake, +she opened her eyes and looked about her. + +Was there ever anything so wonderful? She was in an enormous hall, +supported upon at least two hundred columns of gold, while, between +them, curtains of the richest white silk, fringed with pearls and +diamonds, hung from the roof to the floor, which was spread with a +carpet of azure, covered with flowers in their natural colors, +intermingled with stars of gold and silver. The roof of this wondrous +hall was of fretted gold, and from the centre hung a lamp formed of an +enormous precious stone, which shed forth rays of many-colored hues. +At the upper end of the apartment was a chair of state, over which +fell a drapery of azure velvet, embroidered with pearls in beautiful +devices. But how shall I describe to you the lady who sat in this +gorgeous chair? She was bright and beautiful as a summer's day; her +hair, shining like gold, fell in curls to the very ground; she was +dressed in a robe of azure-blue, a crown of white roses, sprinkled +with diamond dew-drops, rested upon her brow, and in her hand she +carried a long slender bright wand of gold. You may imagine that +Wishie was very much astounded at the sight of all these strange +things; however, the Fairy, in a very soft voice, called to her to +approach nearer. 'Wishie,' said she, 'do you know where you are?' + +'Not the least bit in the world, please your ladyship,' replied +Wishie; 'how should I? Who would ever have thought there was such a +grand place as this under ground?' + +'Never mind its being under ground, Wishie,' said the Fairy, 'that's +no concern of your's; attend to what I am going to say to you. You are +very fond of _wishing_, are you not?' Wishie made no answer, for she +felt rather ashamed; and the Fairy continued: 'I advise you, Wishie, +as your friend, to give up such a bad trick, you will find it very +inconvenient some day or other.' + +By this time Wishie's fright was a little gone off; and being always +rather pertly inclined, she plucked up courage, and remarked that she +did not see how it was to hurt her. Now it was very rude in a little +good-for-nothing kitten like Wishie, to speak so saucily; and the +Fairy looked very angry, as well she might; however, she only said, +'You will know better, perhaps, at some other time. Hear me, Wishie, I +am going to bestow a wonderful gift upon you; for this day you shall +have everything you wish for. But I warn you, that should any of your +wishes bring you into trouble, you must abide by the consequences, you +cannot undo it.' As the Fairy said this, she lightly touched Wishie +with the end of her wand, and the kitten instantly found herself again +in the castle, in the old room hung with tapestry, and her mother +purring by the fire-side. Wishie was too full of her adventure to keep +it another minute to herself; so, running up to her mother, she +related it at great length. + +'Nonsense, child,' said the old cat, 'you don't think I shall believe +such absurd stuff, do you?' I'll box your ears for telling stories--' +and she gave Wishie such a hearty cuff with her paw, that she sent her +spinning into the great gallery, to amuse herself as she best could. + +How dreadfully cross my old mother is to-day; thought Wishie to +herself, as she scampered up the corridor; however, I must try and +find something to do here--it's very dull being all by oneself. Just +then, as she drew near one of the windows, she heard a great buzzing +and fluttering, and looking up, saw a large wasp dancing about in the +sunshine. Wishie thought it would be very good fun to try and catch +him, so she made several springs at the window, but all in vain; the +wasp was as young and active as she was, and eluded her very nimbly. +Quite out of breath, she paused for a minute to look at him. + +'O how I wish I could catch you, master wasp!' she exclaimed, giving a +final jump with all her might. + +Strange to say, this time the wasp seemed almost to drop into her +claws; she clutched him with such a tight grasp, that he had no +possibility of escape; but in an instant, with a direful scream, +Wishie unclosed her paw; and the wasp dropped on the floor. Wishie's +paw was terribly stung. Her first trial of the Fairy's gift had not +proved pleasant by any means. So, limping and mewing, Wishie went back +to her mother, who scolded her well for her folly in jumping at the +wasp, when she ought to have been minding her duty and catching the +mice; and after licking the wounded paw, the old cat sent her to bed +for the rest of the day. But Wishie had no intention whatever of +spending her day in such a manner as that. Lie in bed, indeed! not +she. So she licked her paw till the pain was somewhat abated, and then +she crawled slily upstairs into the great gallery. There was nobody +there, except the knights and ladies in the picture-frames, the +baron's ancestors, and a grim looking set they were; and as none of +them showed any desire to come down from the walls to play with her, +Wishie very soon got tired of looking at them. So, seeing a door open +at the end of the corridor, she stole quietly in, and found herself in +one of the state apartments of the castle. It was a grand room, hung +with beautiful tapestry, and full of a great many curious things, the +use of which Wishie could not imagine. Among other things, there was a +magnificent cabinet, and, on one of the shelves, a pretty round ball +of carved ivory, that looked just as if it was made on purpose to roll +along upon the floor, and be run after. And such a large room, too, it +was; the ball would roll about so splendidly. + +'Oh!' exclaimed Wishie, 'you pretty ball, I do wish I had you to play +with!' + +Bounce came the ball upon the floor, and in another moment, it had +rolled quite to the other end of the room, with Wishie after it, but +it would not suffer her to touch it; just as she came up to it, up it +jumped, dashed high up in the air, over the chairs and tables, and +then descending again on the floor, was here and there and everywhere, +all in a minute; Wishie scampering after it, and absolutely screaming +with delight. Up flew the ball--up to the very ceiling; then down it +came with a rattle against some fine old china on the top of the +cabinet, and in an instant, bowls, jars, and tea-pots, were all lying +on the floor, broken to pieces. Dear me! thought Wishie, this is +rather too much of a good thing; if the old housekeeper should come +in! + +But the mad ball never stopped to think about the housekeeper; now it +took a long roll upon the floor, as if to entice Wishie to run after +it; then, suddenly darting up, would hurl itself with all its might, +against one of the grim old pictures; Wishie, who had by this time +quite forgotten the pain of her paw, jumping as high as ever she could +reach after it. It really was something like a game at play! Just +then, bounce it went against a superb mirror at the upper end of the +room, shivering it to atoms; but not a whit did the ball care for +that--with a tremendous spring, it cleared the whole length of the +room, and alighted on one of the picture-frames near the door. + +But Wishie was getting much too frightened now to enjoy the fun any +longer: she stood, gazing with rueful looks at the broken mirror--O if +the cross old housekeeper should find it out! She thought the best +plan would be to steal out of the room, but on turning round, she +perceived that the door had become most unaccountably shut--there was +no getting out. What was to be done? While she was turning it over in +her mind, down came the ball directly upon Wishie's tail, with such a +thump! Wishie thought her poor tail must be utterly demolished--she +heard an odd sort of chuckling laugh up in the air, and, looking up, +saw that the ball had seated itself, very quietly, in its old place on +the top of the cabinet. How her tail smarted! it was worse a great +deal than the sting. She was just trying to curl it round to lick it, +when the door opened, and in came the housekeeper! She had not +advanced many steps when the broken china caught her eye; her back was +towards the mirror, so she did not see _that_--but she _did_ see +Wishie, and exclaiming, 'You naughty little kitten, you have been +throwing down the china!' She flew towards Wishie, and if she could +have caught her, would, no doubt, have given her a dreadful whipping; +but, as she had luckily left the door open, Wishie contrived to slip +past her, and dart out of the room. When the housekeeper turned round, +she spied the broken mirror; which put her into such a consternation, +that, for a few minutes, she was really too much thunderstruck to run +after Wishie. And there sate the ball on the cabinet, very quietly, +and nobody ever suspected it. + +It was lucky for Wishie that she gained a few minutes on the +housekeeper, for by that means, making the best use of her time, she +flew along the gallery, down the staircase, and jumping out of an +open window, was safely hidden among the shrubs in the garden, before +her enemy had descended the stairs. Poor Wishie! the pain in her tail +was terrible; and she dared not go to her mother, to tell her +misfortunes, for she knew that if she did, her mother would be sure to +cuff her soundly. So she lay still under the bushes, licking her tail, +and trying to forget her troubles as well as she could. Evening came +on; the sun was low in the heavens, and the little birds, that had set +out in the morning full of glee, came back merrily to their nests, and +made themselves comfortable for the night: it was clear they had had a +very happy day of it, though very likely not all they wished for. +Wishie sighed as she listened to their cheerful chirpings. By and bye +she began to feel very hungry, and she thought if she could find +Contenta, she could beg a bit of her supper, for, of course, nobody +else would give her any. So she crawled out of the bushes, and stole +into the court-yard. No one was about; all was quite still: she crept +along under the house till she reached the place where the cats' +supper was always put out for them on the top of a flat stone. Her +papa and mamma, and Contenta, had certainly finished their supper, but +they had remembered Wishie, and very good-naturedly left her some in +the dish; so that she really made a very good supper, better than she +deserved a great deal. Having accomplished this important point, she +thought, as all seemed so quiet, she might venture into the house. + +The great door, which opened into the court-yard, had been left ajar, +so she crept in, and peeped into the hall. No one was there; it was +getting dusk: the old knights and ladies who hung against the walls of +the great hall, looked down upon her so gloomily, that she began to +wonder whether they meant to jump upon the floor and give her a +beating. However, they staid quietly in their black frames, and Wishie +crept on, and on, shaking all over for fear she should meet anybody, +till seeing the door of the baron's dining-hall wide open, she +ventured in. The room was empty; the baron's dinner had been over +hours ago; there seemed no fear of any one coming, so she grew bolder +and jumped upon one of the window-seats to consider what she should do +with herself all night. But before she had settled that point, she +began to grow rather thirsty, and (quite forgetting that she had +already had a very good supper, and that Contenta had left her her +full share of the milk that was put out for them every night), being +naturally of a very greedy disposition, she thought how nice a great +dish full of cream would be. + +Now it so happened, that close by the window-seat on which she had +stationed herself, there stood on the floor a huge old china +punch-bowl, which was never used except on very great occasions, such +as a marriage in the baron's family, and the like. Many a long year it +was since that bowl had ever been used! there it stood, half-covered +with cobwebs; but the housekeeper came and dusted it sometimes. Well; +Wishie's eye just then fell on the great bowl. + +'What a quantity of cream it would hold!' she exclaimed; 'how nice it +would be to have it to lap whenever I liked! I do wish it was full of +nice thick cream, like that the baron has for breakfast!' + +Wishie had hardly said it, when something began bubbling up, very +gently, as if it was very soft, from the bottom of the bowl, and in a +few minutes there floated at her feet, a perfect white sea! an ocean +of cream--smooth, delicious, and tempting. It was so conveniently +close to the window-sill, too, that by planting her fore-paws on the +rim of the bowl, she could stoop down and lap so comfortably! At least +she thought so at first; but somehow, when she came to try, the china +was so thin and so slippery, that she found she could get very little +hold. It was very provoking. But she tried a second time; really, it +was _dreadfully_ slippery, and there was nothing that she could stick +her claws into--however, she did at last contrive to get her tongue +just to the top of the cream; but she had scarcely tasted it, when +suddenly her paws shot apart, and she tumbled headlong into the bowl! +The bowl was deep and wide, and there was nothing for her to cling to, +to help herself out by. O, what a splashing and spluttering she made! +but it did her no good; the cream got into her eyes, her mouth, her +nostrils, and she could not anyhow lift herself out of it--there she +must stay, coughing, choking, and struggling, till she was drowned. +Wishie thought she had quite enough cream! But just as she was sinking +down, quite exhausted with her useless efforts, she felt her neck +seized, and that some one was drawing her out of the bowl. The next +minute she was laid safe and sound on the floor. It was some little +time before she could open her eyes, and when she did so, she was +exceedingly astonished to see, by the waning light, the beautiful lady +with the golden locks and crown of white roses, and glittering +dew-drops. + +'Well, Wishie,' said the Fairy, 'have you had a pleasant day of it? +You have had everything you wished for, I think?' + +'O dear, ma'am!' replied Wishie, shaking her ears to get the cream +out, 'I never had such a miserable day in my life! I have met with +such dreadful misfortunes!' + +'Then,' said the Fairy, 'you think that your day would have been a +happier one, if you had _not_ had everything you fancied you should +like?' + +Wishie hung her head down, and looked very silly; and at last answered +that 'she thought it would.' + +'I am quite of that opinion,' replied the Fairy; 'and, as you seem by +this time to have had pretty plain proofs of the folly of _wishing_, I +will take away my dangerous gift from you; for I hope you will be +wiser now than you have ever been before.' So saying, the Fairy gave +her a stroke with her wand, and Wishie directly found herself in her +own little bed, by the side of her sister Contenta, who was sound +asleep. And in a minute Wishie fell asleep too, and never awoke till +the sun was shining in at the windows. She told all her strange +adventures to her father and mother and Contenta; upon which they all +held up their paws, and declared they had never heard anything so +wonderful. But her father and mother scolded her also, and told her it +was all her own fault, which Wishie felt was too true; and, from that +day forwards, she never mewed for anything, but became as satisfied +and good-humored as Contenta herself; and even the housekeeper at last +grew quite fond of her. + + +FINIS. + +[Illustration] + + + * * * * * + + +-----------------------------------------------------------+ + | Typographical errors corrected in text: | + | | + | Page 63: fidgetted replaced with fidgeted | + | | + | Unusual words retained: | + | | + | Page 103: slily is a variant of slyly | + | | + | Unusual phrasing retained: | + | | + | Page 67: "whispering the cat not to mind what..." | + | | + +-----------------------------------------------------------+ + + * * * * * + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Tales From Catland, for Little Kittens, by +Tabitha Grimalkin + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TALES FROM CATLAND *** + +***** This file should be named 30050.txt or 30050.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + https://www.gutenberg.org/3/0/0/5/30050/ + +Produced by David Garcia, Jeannie Howse and the Online +Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This +file was produced from images generously made available +by The Internet Archive) + + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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