Page:Mother goose's fairy tales (2).pdf/20

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Fairy Tales.

whom the meadow they were mowing belonged? "To my Lord Marquis of Carabas," anſwered they altogether; for the Cat's threats had made them terribly afraid. "You ſee, Sir," ſaid the Marquis, "this is a meadow that never fails to yield a plentiful harveſt every year." The Cat, who went on ſtill before, met with ſome reapers, and ſaid to them, "Good people, you who are reaping, if you do not tell the king, that all this corn belongs to the Marquis of Carabas, you ſhall be chopped as ſmall as herbs for the pot." The king who paſſed by a moment after, would needs know to whom all that corn did belong? "To my Lord Marquis of Carabas," replied the reapers; and the king was very well pleaſed with it, as well as the Marquis whom he congratulated thereupon. The maſter Cat went always before, ſaying the ſame words to all he met; and the king was aſtoniſhed at the vaſt eſtates of my Lord Marquis of Carabas. Monſieur Paſs came at laſt to a ſtately caſtle, the maſter of which was an Ogre, the richeſt that had ever been known; for all the lands the king had then gone over, belonged to this caſtle. The Cat having taken care to inform himſelf who this Ogre was, and what he could do, aſked to ſpeak with him, ſaying, "He could not paſs ſo near his caſtle, witho 't having the honour of paying his reſpects to him."

The Ogre received him as civilly as an Ogre could do, and made him ſit down. "I have been aſſured," ſaid the Cat, that you have the gift of being able to change yourſelf into all ſorts of creatures you have a-mind to; you can, for example, transform yourſelf into a lion or elephant, and the like." "This is true, anſwered the Ogre, very briſkly, and to convince you, you ſhall ſee me now become a lion. Puſs was ſo ſadly terrified at the ſight of a lion ſo near him, that he immediately