The Princess, still more surprised, sent for Abricotine, and asked her if she had taught one of the canary-birds to sing. She replied, No, but that she thought canaries might fairly be supposed to possess as much intelligence as parrots. The Princess smiled, and believed that Abricotine had given the birds lessons in private, and returned to the table to finish her supper.
Leander had worked sufficiently hard to have acquired a good appetite. He drew near to the banquet, the odour of which alone was invigorating. The Princess had a blue cat, a very fashionable appendage at that period, and which she was exceedingly fond of: one of her maids of honour carried it in her arms. "Madam," said the maid of honour, "it is my duty to inform your highness that Bluet is hungry." They seated the cat at the table with a little gold plate before it, and a napkin of lace, very tastefully folded. The cat had a collar of pearls to which was appended a golden bell; and with the air of a gourmand it began to eat. "Oh, oh!" quoth Leander to himself, "a great blue tom-cat, who probably has never caught a mouse in his life, and who is assuredly not of a better family than I am, has the honour to sup with my beautiful princess! I should like to know if he loves her as well as I do; and if it is fair that I should only enjoy the smell, while he munches the tit bits." With that he quietly lifted up the blue cat, placed himself in the arm-chair, and took the animal in his lap. Nobody observed him, of course; how could they?—he had on his little red hat. The Princess piled up the golden plate of Bluet with partridge, quail, and pheasant. Partridge, quail, and pheasant, disappeared in a moment. All the court agreed, never had a blue cat been known to have such an enormous appetite. There were some excellent ragouts on the table. Leander took a fork, and holding forth with it the cat's paw, he helped himself to the ragouts. Sometimes he took rather a large quantity. Bluet did not understand joking; he mewed and tried to scratch like a wild cat. The Princess desired the servants to hand this tart or that fricassee to poor Bluet. "Observe how he cries for it!" Leander laughed in his sleeve at this absurd adventure; but he was very thirsty, not having been accustomed to sit so long at table without drinking. He caught hold, with the cat's paw, of a great melon, which a little
