eat half of it?" The cat said: "Let us eat it all." So
they ate it all and stuffed themselves like pigs. When they had eaten it
they said: "Alas for us! What shall we do when the mistress comes home?
She will surely beat us both." So they both ran all over the house, here
and there, but could find no place in which to hide. They were going to
hide under the bed. "No," they said, "for she will see us." They were
going under the sofa; but that would not do, for she would see them
there. Finally the cat looked up and saw under the beams a cobweb. He
gave a leap and jumped into it. The dog looked at him and said: "Run
away! you are mad! you can be seen, for your tail sticks out! come down,
come down!" "I cannot, I cannot, for I am stuck fast!" "Wait, I will
come and pull you out." He gave a spring to catch him by the tail and
pull him down. Instead of that he, too, stuck fast to the cat's tail. He
made every effort to loosen himself, but he could not and there he had
to stay.

Meanwhile the mistress does not wait until the priest finishes the mass,
but runs quickly home. She runs and opens the door and is going to skim
the pot, when she discovers that the fowl is no longer there, and in the
middle of the kitchen she sees the bones all gnawed. "Ah, poor me! the
cat and the dog have eaten the fowl. Now I will give them both a
beating." So she takes a stick and then goes to find them. She looks
here, she looks there, but does not find them anywhere. In despair she
comes back to the kitchen, but does not find them there. "Where the
deuce have they hidden?" Just then she raises her eyes and sees them
both stuck fast under the beams. "Ah, are you there? now just wait!" and
she climbs on a table and is going to pull them down, when she sticks
fast to the dog's tail. She tries to free herself, but cannot.

Her husband knocked at the door. "Here, open!" "I cannot, I am fast."
"Loosen yourself and open the door! where the deuce are you fastened?"
"I cannot, I tell you." "Open! it is noon." "I cannot, for I am fast."
"But where are you fast?" "To the dog's tail." "I will give you the
dog's tail, you silly woman!" He gave the door two or three kicks, broke
it in, went into the kitchen, and saw cat, dog, and mistress all fast.
"Ah, you are all fast, are you? just wait, I will loosen you." He went
to loosen them, but stuck fast himself. Friend Tony comes and knocks.
"Friend? Open! I have the tart here." "I cannot; my friend, I am fast!"