several times , as loud as he could . This cunning Cat had hidden them under a great stone . The King immediately commanded the officers of his wardrobe to run and fetch one of his best suits for the Lord Marquis of Carabas . The King caressed him after a very extraordinary manner , and as the fine clothes he had given him extremely set off his good mien -LRB- for he was well made and very handsome in his person -RRB- , the King 's daughter took a secret inclination to him , and the Marquis of Carabas had no sooner cast two or three respectful and somewhat tender glances but she fell in love with him to distraction . The King would needs have him come into the coach and take part of the airing . The Cat , quite overjoyed to see his project begin to succeed , marched on before , and , meeting with some countrymen , who were mowing a meadow , he said to them : `` Good people , you who are mowing , if you do not tell the King that the meadow you mow belongs to my Lord Marquis of Carabas , you shall be chopped as small as herbs for the pot . '' The King did not fail asking of the mowers to 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 which never fails to yield a plentiful harvest every year . '' The Master Cat , who went still on 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 , which he then saw , 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 , who went always before , said the same words to all he met , and the King was astonished at the vast estates of my Lord Marquis of Carabas . Monsieur Puss came at last to a stately castle , the master of which was an ogre , the richest had ever been known ; for all the lands which the King had then gone over belonged to this castle . The Cat , who had 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 without having the honor 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 . '' `` That 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 got into the gutter , not without abundance of trouble and danger , because of his boots , which were of no use at all to him in walking upon the tiles . A little while after , when Puss saw that the ogre had resumed his natural form , he came down , and owned he had been very much frightened .
`` I have been , moreover , informed , '' said the Cat , `` but I know not how to believe it , that you have also the power XXXXX take on you the shape of the smallest animals ; for example , to change yourself into a rat or a mouse ; but I must own to you I take this to be impossible . ''
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