Wonder Tales Read online

  After he had passed through sixty chambers, the hands ceased to guide him; he saw a large easy chair, which moved all by itself close to the hearth. At the same moment the fire lit itself, and the hands, which seemed to him very beautiful, white, small, plump, and well proportioned, undressed him, for he was drenched as I have already said, and feared he might catch cold. He was given, without his seeing anybody, a shirt splendid enough to wear on one’s wedding day, and a dressing gown made of cloth-of-gold, embroidered with tiny emeralds which formed numbers. The disembodied hands brought him a table on which his toilet articles were laid out. Nothing could have been more elegant; they combed his hair with a deft and light touch which pleased him mightily. Then they clothed him anew, but not with his own clothes; much richer ones had been provided. He silently admired everything that was happening around him, and sometimes he succumbed to shudders of fear that he was not quite able to suppress.

  After he had been powdered, curled, perfumed, decked out, tidied up, and rendered more handsome than Adonis, the hands led him into a salon that was superbly gilded and furnished. All round the room one saw the histories of the most famous Cats: Rodillardus1 hanged by his paws at the council of rats; Puss-in-Boots of the Marquis de Carabas; the scrivener Cat; the Cat who turned into a woman, witches turned into cats, the witches’ sabbath and all its ceremonies; in a word, nothing was more remarkable than these pictures.

  The table had been laid; there were two places, each set with a golden casket which held the knives, forks and spoons; the buffet astonished him with its abundance of rock-crystal vases and a thousand rare gems. The prince was wondering for whom these two places were laid, when he saw cats taking their place in a small orchestra set up just for the occasion; one held up a score covered with the most extraordinary notes in the world; another a scroll of paper which he used to beat time; the others had small guitars. Suddenly each one began to miaow in a different key, and to scratch the guitar strings with their claws; it was the strangest music ever heard. The prince would have thought himself in hell, had he not found the palace too wonderful to admit of such an unlikely circumstance; but he stopped his ears and laughed uncontrollably as he watched the various posturings and grimaces of these newfangled musicians.

  He was reflecting on the queer things that had already happened to him in this castle, when he saw a tiny figure scarcely a cubit in height entering the room. This puppet was draped in a long veil of black crêpe. Two cats attended her; they were dressed in mourning, wearing cloaks, with swords at their side; a large cortège of cats followed; some carried rat traps filled with rats, others brought mice in cages.

  The prince was struck dumb with amazement; he knew not what to think. The black figurine approached, lifting its veil, and he perceived the most beautiful White Cat that ever was or ever will be. She appeared to be very young and very sad; she began to miaow so gently and sweetly that it went straight to his heart; she spoke to the prince: Welcome, O king’s son; my miaowing majesty is pleased with the sight of you. Madam Cat, said the prince, you are most generous to receive me with so much hospitality, but you seem to be no ordinary beastie; your gift of speech and the superb castle you own are evident proofs of this. King’s son, replied the White Cat, I pray you, pay me no more compliments; I am simple in my speech and my manners, but my heart is kind. Come, she continued, let dinner be served, and let the musicians cease, for the prince doesn’t understand what they are saying. And are they saying something, Madam? he enquired. I am sure they are, she continued; we have poets here gifted with infinite powers of wit, and if you rest awhile among us, you will have cause to be convinced. I have only to listen to you to believe it, said the prince gallantly; but then, Madam, I consider you a rare Cat indeed.

  Supper was brought in; the hands whose bodies were invisible served it. First, two bisques were placed on the table, one of pigeon, the other of well-fattened mice. The sight of one prevented the prince from tasting the other, for he supposed that the same cook had prepared them both: but the little Cat, who guessed what his thoughts were from the face he made, assured him that his meal was cooked separately, and that he could eat what was served him, in the certitude that there would be neither rats nor mice in it.

  The prince didn’t have to be asked twice, sure in his belief that the pretty little Cat had no intention of deceiving him. He noticed a tiny portrait painted on metal that she wore at her wrist, which surprised him. He begged her to show it to him, imagining that it must be a portrait of Master Minagrobis,2 the king of the Cats. What was his astonishment to find it that of a young man so handsome that it seemed scarcely possible that nature might have formed another like him, yet who resembled him so strongly that one couldn’t have portrayed him better.

  She sighed, and becoming more melancholy, kept a profound silence. The prince realised that there was something extraordinary in all this; however he dared not enquire what it was, for fear of displeasing the Cat, or distressing her. He chatted with her, telling her all the news he knew, and found her well versed in the different interests of princes, and of other things that were going on in the world.

  After supper, the White Cat invited her guest into a salon where there was a stage, on which twelve cats and twelve monkeys were dancing a ballet. The former were in Moorish costume, the latter in Chinese. It is easy to imagine the sort of leaps and capers they executed, while from time to time clawing at one another; it was thus that the evening came to an end. White Cat bade goodnight to her guest; the hands that had guided him thus far took over once again and led him to an apartment that was the exact opposite of the one he had seen. It was not so much magnificent as elegant; the whole was papered with butterfly wings, whose diverse colours formed a thousand different flowers. There were also feathers of extremely rare birds, which perhaps had never been seen except in that place. The bed was draped with gauze, attached by thousands of knotted ribbons. There were enormous mirrors extending from the ceiling to the parquet, and their borders of chased gold depicted an immense crowd of little cupids.

  The prince lay down without saying a word, for there was no way of making conversation with the hands that waited on him; he slept little, and was awakened by an indistinct noise. The hands immediately drew him from his bed and dressed him in a hunter’s habit. He looked out into the courtyard of the castle and saw five hundred cats, some of whom had greyhounds on a leash, while others were sounding the horn; it was a great celebration. White Cat was going hunting; she wanted the prince to come with her. The officious hands presented him with a wooden horse which galloped and cantered marvellously; he was somewhat reluctant to mount it, saying that he was far from being a knight errant like Don Quixote; but his resistance was useless, and they placed him on the wooden horse. It had a cloth and a saddle made of gold-lace embroidery and diamonds. White Cat mounted a monkey, the handsomest and most superb ever seen; she had removed her long veil and wore a dragon’s hood, which lent her an air so resolute that all the mice in the region were afraid. Never was a hunting party more agreeable; the cats ran faster than the rabbits and hares, so that when they caught one, White Cat had the spoils divided up before her, and a thousand amusing tricks of dexterity were performed; the birds for their part weren’t too secure, for the kittens climbed the trees, and the chief monkey bore White Cat up as far as the eagles’ nests, so that she might dispose of the little eagle highnesses according to her whim.

  Once the hunt was over, she picked up a horn the length of a finger, but which gave out such a high, clear sound that it was easily audible ten leagues hence; no sooner had she sounded two or three fanfares than she was surrounded by all the cats in the land; some travelled by air, ensconced in chariots; others by water in barques; in a word, so many cats had never been seen before. Almost all were dressed in different costumes; she returned to the castle in pomp with this cortège, and invited the prince to come too. He was willing, even though all this cat business smacked a bit of sorcery and the witches’ sabbath, and the ta
lking cat astonished him more than anything else.

  As soon as they were back at the castle, her great black veil was placed over her head; she supped with the prince, who was hungry; liqueurs were brought which he drank with pleasure, and instantly they blotted out the memory of the little dog which he was to bring back to the king. He no longer thought of anything but miaowing with White Cat, that is, of being her good and faithful companion; he spent the days in agreeable pastimes, sometimes he went fishing or hunting; or ballets and chariot races would be staged, and a thousand other diversions to his liking; often the beautiful Cat would even compose verses and ditties in a style so passionate that one might have thought her in love, that one couldn’t speak as she did without being in love; but her secretary, an old cat, wrote so illegibly that, even though these works have been preserved, it is impossible to read them.

  The prince had even forgotten his country. The hands of which I have spoken continued to serve him. Sometimes he was sorry not to be a cat, so as to spend his life in such delightful company. Alas! he said to White Cat, how sorrowful I shall be when I leave you; I love you so dearly. Either become a girl, or turn me into a cat. She found his request most amusing, and gave only obscure answers, of which he understood almost nothing.

  A year passes quickly when one has no cares or worries, when one is happy and in good health. White Cat knew the date when he must return, and as he no longer thought about it, she reminded him. Do you know, she said, that you have but three days to find the little dog that the king your father wants, and that your brothers have found very handsome ones? The prince came to his senses, amazed at his own negligence: By what secret charm, he exclaimed, have I forgotten the thing in the world that matters most to me? My kingdom and my glory depend on it; where will I find a dog that will win me a kingdom, and a horse swift enough to travel such a long way? He began to worry, and was sore aggrieved.

  White Cat told him, in gentler tones: King’s son, cease lamenting, I am on your side; you may stay another day here, and, although your country is five hundred leagues distant, the trusty wooden horse will bear you there in less than twelve hours. I thank you, lovely Cat, said the prince; but it isn’t enough for me to return to my father’s house; I must also bring him a little dog. Ha! replied White Cat, here is an acorn inside which you’ll find one more beautiful than the dog star itself. Oh, said the prince, Madam Cat, your majesty is making fun of me. Put the acorn next to your ear, she continued, and you’ll hear him yap. He obeyed: at once the tiny dog began to yip and yap; the prince was transported with joy, since a dog that can be contained in an acorn must be tiny indeed. He wished to open it, but White Cat told him the dog might catch cold during the trip: it would be better to wait until he was in the presence of his father the king. He thanked her a thousand times, and bade her a most tender adieu; I assure you, he said, that the days with you have seemed so short that I quite regret leaving you behind, and though you be the sovereign here, and all the cats who attend to you are much wittier and gallant than our courtiers, I cannot resist inviting you to come with me. The Cat replied to this suggestion with nothing more than a profound sigh.

  They took leave of each other; the prince arrived first at the castle where the meeting with his brothers was to take place. They arrived soon after, and were astonished to find a wooden horse in the courtyard who pranced better than any of those in the riding academies.

  The prince came out to greet them. They embraced each other several times and recounted their various travels; but our prince took care not to tell the true story of his adventures, and showed them an ugly cur that was used for turning a spit, saying he had found it so pretty that he had decided to bring it to the king. Despite the affection that united them, the two brothers felt a secret joy at their brother’s ill-advised choice; they were at table and trod on each other’s feet, as though to tell each other they had nothing to fear from that quarter.

  The next day they left together in the same coach. The two elder sons of the king had little dogs in baskets, so beautiful and so delicate that one would scarcely have dared to touch them. The youngest brought his poor turnspit, so filthy that no one could stand him. Once they were inside the palace, everyone gathered round to welcome them; they entered the king’s apartment. He couldn’t decide which of them to favour, for the little dogs that the two eldest proffered him were almost of equal beauty, and already they were arguing over which of them would inherit the crown, when the youngest settled their dispute by drawing from his pocket the acorn that White Cat had given him. He opened it at once, and everyone saw a tiny dog lying on a bed of cotton wool. He stepped through a finger ring without touching it. The prince set him on the floor, and at once he began to dance the saraband with castanets, as deftly as the most renowned Spanish dancer. His coat was of a thousand different colours; his fur and his tail trailed along the ground. The king was profoundly abashed, for it was impossible to find anything to criticise in this beautiful doggie.

  And yet he had no wish to part with his crown. Its least rosette was dearer to him than all the dogs in the universe. So he told his sons that he was satisfied with their efforts, but that they had succeeded so well in the first task he had set them that he wanted to test their cleverness further before keeping his word; and so he was giving them a year to search by land and sea for a piece of cloth so fine that it would pass through the eye of a Venetian lace-maker’s needle. All three were sorely distressed at being obliged to set out on a new quest. The two princes, whose dogs were less handsome than their younger brother’s, gave their assent. Each went off in a different direction, with fewer friendly effusions than the first time, as the turnspit had somewhat cooled their affections.

  Our prince set off on his wooden horse, and without caring to seek other help than that he could expect from the White Cat’s friendship, returned to the castle where she had so cordially received him. He found all the doors open; the windows, the roofs, the towers and the walls were lit by a hundred thousand lamps, which produced a marvellous effect. The hands that had served him so well before came to meet him, took the bridle of the excellent wooden horse and led him to the stable, while the prince entered the chamber of the White Cat.

  She was lying in a little basket, on a mattress of spotless white satin. Her nightcap was somewhat askew, and she seemed dejected; but when she noticed the prince she did a thousand leaps and as many capers, to show him how happy she was. Whatever cause I might have had, she told him, to hope for your return, I admit, king’s son, that I dared not flatter myself that you would; and I am usually so unlucky when I long for something, that this event surprises me. The grateful prince lavished a thousand caresses on her; he told her of the success of his trip, of which she knew more perhaps than he, and that the king wanted a piece of cloth that could pass through the eye of a needle; that in truth he thought such a thing impossible, but that he had determined to attempt it, placing all his faith in her friendship and help. White Cat assumed a solemn air, telling him that it was indeed something to ponder seriously, that fortunately there were cats in the castle who were excellent weavers, and that she herself would put her claw to the task and help to further his quest; thus he could set his mind at rest and not think of seeking elsewhere what he would find more easily in her domain than anywhere else in the world.

  The hands appeared, bearing torches; and the prince followed them along with White Cat; they entered a magnificent gallery that bordered a great river, over which an immense and astounding display of fireworks was set off. Four cats were to be burned, whose trial had been in due accordance with the law. They were accused of having devoured the roast intended for White Cat’s supper, her cheese, her milk; of having gone so far as to conspire against her person with Martafax3 and Lhermite,4 two famous rats of the region, and named as such by La Fontaine, a most reputable author: but with all that, it was known that there had been a great deal of intrigue in the affair, and that most of the witnesses had been tampered with. However th
at may be, the prince obtained their pardon. The fireworks harmed no one, and such beautiful sky-rockets have still to be seen again.

  A dainty midnight supper was served, which pleased the prince more than the fireworks, for he was very hungry, and his wooden horse had brought him more quickly than any coach could have travelled. The days that followed were like those that had gone before, with a thousand different celebrations that White Cat devised to amuse her guest. He was perhaps the first mortal to be so well entertained by cats, without any other company.

  It is true that White Cat had a pleasant, good-natured and almost omniscient mind. She was more learned than a cat is permitted to be. This surprised the prince sometimes. No, he told her, it’s not natural, all the marvellous qualities I behold in you: if you love me, charming puss, tell me by what marvel you think and speak so accurately, that you could easily be received in the most learned academies? Enough of your questions, king’s son, she would say; I am not allowed to answer, and you may push your conjectures as far as you like, without my preventing you; let it be enough that for you I shall always keep my claws drawn in, and that I interest myself tenderly in everything that concerns you.

  Imperceptibly this second year flowed by like the first; the prince had scarcely to wish for something when the diligent hands would bring it to him then and there, whether it were books, jewels, paintings, antique medals; in fact he had but to say, I want such and such a jewel, that is in the treasury of the Great Mogul or the king of Persia, such and such a statue from Corinth or Greece, for whatever he desired to materialise before him, without his knowing who had brought it nor whence it had come. Such distractions are scarcely wearisome; and when one is in the mood for amusements one is sometimes more than pleased to find oneself master of the most beautiful treasures on earth.

  White Cat, who always kept an eye on the prince’s interests, advised him that the time for his departure was approaching, that he need not concern himself over the piece of cloth he wished for, and that she had made him a marvellous one; she added that she wished this time to provide him with a retinue worthy of his rank, and, without waiting for his reply, she bade him look down into the great courtyard of the castle. There stood an open barouche made of flame-coloured enamelled gold, with a thousand emblematic figures which pleased the mind as much as the eye. Twelve snow-white horses, four abreast, hauled it, fitted with flame-coloured velvet harnesses embroidered with diamonds and embellished with gold plaques. The barouche was similarly upholstered inside, and a hundred coaches with eight horses, crowded with noblemen of superb mien, magnificently clad, followed the barouche. It was further accompanied by a thousand footsoldiers whose uniforms were so densely embroidered that the cloth could not be seen underneath. What was singular was that wherever one looked, one saw the portrait of White Cat, whether in the emblems of the barouche or on the footsoldiers’ uniforms, or attached with a ribbon to the jerkins of those who completed the procession, like a new order of merit that had just been bestowed on them.