The cloth was laid, and there were two covers, each accompanied by its golden cadenas.[1] The buffet astonished him, by the quantity of cups upon it of rock crystal and a thousand rare stones. The Prince could not imagine for whom the two covers were placed, when he saw several cats take their places in a small orchestra, fitted up expressly for them. One held a music-book, the notes in which were of the most extraordinary kind; another a roll of paper to beat time with; and the rest had little guitars.
Suddenly each began to mew in a different tone, and to scratch the strings of their guitars with their claws. It was the strangest music that had ever been heard. The Prince would have thought himself in the infernal regions if he had not found the palace too marvellously beautiful to permit him to fall into such an error; but he stopped his ears and laughed heartily at the sight of the various postures and grimaces of these novel musicians.
He was meditating on the different things that had already happened to him in the chateau, when he saw a little figure enter the hall, scarcely a cubit in height. This poppet was covered with a long black crape veil. Two cats preceded it dressed in deep mourning and wearing cloaks and swords; a numerous train of cats followed, some carrying rat-traps full of rats, and others mice in cages.
The Prince could not recover from his astonishment; he knew not what to think. The little black figure approached, and lifting its veil he perceived the most beautiful little white cat that ever was or ever will be. She had a very youthful and very melancholy air, and commenced a mewing so soft and sweet, that it went straight to the heart. "Son of a King," said she to the Prince, "thou art welcome; my mewing majesty beholds thee with pleasure." "Madam Cat," said the Prince, "it is very generous of you to receive me with so much attention; but you do not appear to me to be an ordinary little animal. The gift you have of speech, and the
- ↑ The cadenas was a box of gold, silver, or silver gilt, standing on three small metal balls, with a case in it which contained the knife, fork, and spoon of the king, or any other royal personage. It was probably so called from the lock under which it was kept as a security against poison. Even the saucepans were sometimes padlocked for the same reason. Madame d'Aulnoy, in her "Travels in Spain," tells an amusing story of the archbishop of Burgos going to bed supperless, because his cook, to prevent the gallant prelate sharing his Olla with the Countess, pretended to have lost the key of the silver saucepan in the snow.—Letter vi. 13th March, 1679.
