en; and that Mag was
turned away in disgrace directly. But how the matter really was, I
cannot say: all that I know is, that she took up her abode half-way up
one of the large oaks, behind the old woman's hut, a long time before
our story begins; and that, being of a particularly sociable and chatty
disposition, she soon established an ardent friendship with the cat,
and they became the greatest cronies in the world. So when, as I said
just now, the baron's grand hunting parties swept past, they afforded
the magpie a fine opportunity for displaying her knowledge of life and
the world. And sometimes, too, she would dwell at great length on the
splendor and happiness she had enjoyed while she lived with the
countess in her palace, till the cat's fur almost stood on end to hear
the wonders she related.--What a place that palace must have been! very
different, indeed, from the old woman's cottage!

Now, these conversations with the magpie sadly unsettled the mind of
the cat; more particularly when the magpie related to her how daintily
the Countess Von Rustenfustenmustencrustenberg's cat always
lived--what nice bits of chicken she dined upon, what delicious
morsels of buttered crumpet she often had for breakfast, what soft
cushions she lay upon, and a great deal more to the same purpose: all
which made a powerful impression upon our humble friend. So she sate
and reflected by the fire, while the good old woman, her mistress,
went on spinning the wool which she sold afterwards at the nearest
town, to buy food and clothes.

The more the cat talked to the magpie, the more dissatisfied she
became with her present condition; till, at last, I am sadly afraid
that when, in a morning, the old woman gave her her breakfast of
goats' milk with some nice brown bread broken into it, she began
rather to despise it, instead of taking it thankfully, as she ought to
have done, for she was really very comfortably off in the
cottage--having bread and milk every morning and night, and something
for dinner too; besides what mice she could catch, to say nothing of a
stray robin or sparrow now and then. But, as I said just now, the
magpie's chattering stories unsettled her; she thought it would be so
charming to dine upon bits of roast chicken, and have buttered
crumpets for breakfast, and fine cushions to lie upon, like the
countess's cat. All this was very silly, no doubt; but she wanted
experience: she knew nothing of the thousands and thous