saw this, it was astonished and cried out, saying: "Thou, whose state
is thus pleasant, whence art thou? and since it appears that thou
comest from the banquet-chamber of the Khan of Khata, whence is this
sleekness of thine, and from what cause this thy grandeur and strength?"

The Neighbour-Cat replied: "I am the crumb-eater of the tray of the
Sultan. Every morning I attend on the court of the king, and when they
spread the tray of invitation, I display boldness and daring, and in
general I snatch off some morsels of fat meats, and of loaves made of
the finest flour; and thus I pass my time happy and satisfied till the
next day."

The Cat of the old woman inquired: "What sort of a thing may fat meat
be? and what kind of relish has bread, made of fine flour? I, during
my whole life, have never seen nor tasted aught save the old woman's
broths, and mouse's flesh."

The Neighbour-Cat laughed, and said: "Therefore it is that one cannot
distinguish thee from a spider, and this form and appearance that thou
hast is a reproach to our whole race. If thou shouldst see the court
of the Sultan and smell the odour of those delicious viands, thou
wouldst acquire a fresh form."

The Cat of the old woman, said, most beseechingly, "O brother! thou art
bound to me by neighbourship and kinship; why not this time, when thou
goest, take me with thee? Perchance, by thy good fortune, I may obtain
food."

The heart of the Neighbour-Cat melted at the speaker's lamentable
position, and he resolved that he would not attend the feast without