Once upon a time . . . a miller died
leaving the mill to his eldest son, his donkey to his second son and .
. . a cat to his youngest son. "Now that's some difference!" you might
say; but there you are, that's how the miller was! The eldest son kept
the mill, the second son took the donkey and set off in search of his fortune
. . . while the third sat down on a stone and sighed, "A cat! What am I
going to do with that?" But the cat heard his words and said, "Don't worry,
Master. What do you think? That I'm worth less than a half ruined mill
or a mangy donkey? Give me a cloak, a hat with a feather in it, a bag and
a pair of boots, and you will see what I can do." The young man, by no
means surprised, for it was quite common for cats to talk in those days,
gave the cat what he asked for, and as he strode away, confident and cheerful.
the cat said. "Don't look so glum, Master. See you soon!" Swift of foot
as he was, the cat caught a fat wild rabbit, popped it into his bag, knocked
at the castle gate, went before the King and, removing his hat, with a
sweeping bow, he said: "Sire, the famous Marquis of Carabas sends you this
fine plump rabbit as a gift." "Oh," said the King, "thanks so much." "Till
tomorrow," replied the cat as he went out. And the next day, back he came
with some partridges tucked away in his bag. "Another gift from the brave
Marquis of Carabas," he announced. The Queen remarked, "This Marquis of
Carabas is indeed a very courteous gentleman." In the days that followed,
Puss in Boots regularly visited the castle, carrying rabbits, hares, partridges
and skylarks, presenting them all to the King in the name of the Marquis
of Carabas. Folk at the palace began to talk about this noble gentleman.
"He must be a great hunter," someone remarked. "He must be very loyal to
the King," said someone else. And yet another, "But who is he? I've never
heard of him." At this someone who wanted to show people how much he knew,
replied, "Oh, yes, I've heard his name before. In fact, I knew his father."
The Queen was very interested in this generous man who sent these gifts.
"Is your master young and handsome?" she asked the cat. "Oh yes. And very
rich, too," answered Puss in Boots. "In fact, he would be very honoured
if you and the King called to see him in his castle." When the cat returned
home and told his master that the King and Queen were going to visit him,
he was horrified. "Whatever shall we do?" he cried. "As soon as they see
me they will know how poor I am." "Leave everything to me," replied Puss
in Boots. "I have a plan." For several days, the crafty cat kept on taking
gifts to the King and Queen, and one day he discovered that they were taking
the Princess on a carriage ride that very afternoon. The cat hurried home
in great excitement. "Master, come along," he cried. "It is time to carry
out my plan. You must go for a swim in the river." "But I can't swim,"
replied the young man. "That's all right," replied Puss in Boots. "Just
trust me." So they went to the river and when the King's carriage appeared
the cat pushed his master into the water. "Help!" cried the cat. "The Marquis
of Carabas is drowning." The King heard his cries and sent his escorts
to the rescue. They arrived just in time to save the poor man, who really
was drowning. The King, the Queen and the Princess fussed around and ordered
new clothes to be brought for the Marquis of Carabas. "Wouldn't you like
to marry such a handsome man?" the Queen asked her daughter. "Oh, yes,"
replied the Princess. However, the cat overheard one of the ministers remark
that they must find out how rich he was. "He is very rich indeed," said
Puss in Boots. "He owns the castle and all this land. Come and see for
yourself. I will meet you at the castle." And with these words, the cat
rushed off in the direction of the castle, shouting at the peasants working
in the fields, "If anyone asks you who your master is, answer: the Marquis
of Carabas. Otherwise you will all be sorry." And so, when the King's carriage
swept past, the peasants told the King that their master was the Marquis
of Carabas. In the meantime, Puss in Boots had arrived at the castle, the
home of a huge, cruel ogre. Before knocking at the gate, the cat said to
himself, "I must be very careful, or I'll never get out of here alive."
When the door opened, Puss in Boots removed his feather hat, exclaiming,
"My Lord Ogre, my respects!" "What do you want, cat?" asked the ogre rudely.
"Sire, I've heard you possess great powers. That, for instance, you can
change into a lion or an elephant." "That's perfectly true," said the ogre,
"and so what?" "Well," said the cat, "I was talking to certain friends
of mine who said that you can't turn into a tiny little creature, like
a mouse." "Oh, so that's what they say, is it?" exclaimed the ogre. The
cat nodded, "Well, Sire, that's my opinion too, because folk that can do
big things never can manage little ones." "Oh, yes? Well, just watch this!"
retorted the ogre, turning into a mouse. In a flash, the cat leapt on the
mouse and ate it whole. Then he dashed to the castle gate, just in time,
for the King's carriage was drawing up. With a bow, Puss in Boots said,
"Sire, welcome to the castle of the Marquis of Carabas!" The King and Queen,
the Princess and the miller's son who, dressed in his princely clothes,
really did look like a marquis, got out of the carriage and the King spoke:
"My dear Marquis, you're a fine, handsome, young man, you have a great
deal of land and a magnificent castle. Tell me, are you married?" "No,"
the young man answered, "but I would like to find a wife." He looked at
the Princess as he spoke. She in turn smiled at him. To cut a long story
short, the miller's son, now Marquis of Carabas, married the Princess and
lived happily with her in the castle. And from time to time, the cat would
wink and whisper, "You see, Master, I am worth a lot more than any mangy
donkey or half ruined mill, aren't I?"
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