ing her wedding
outfit. The bride said she had not. A few days later the old woman
came again, and during the visit the bride remarked that, before the
matter was mentioned, she had heard no scratching among her boxes, but
that since that time she had listened for it, and had heard it every
night. The old woman advised her to look carefully after her clothing,
saying that there were evidently many mice in the house, and that she
would be likely at any time to find her best garments nibbled into
shreds. The old woman knew there was no cat in the house, but she
inquired whether there was one, and on hearing that there was not, she
offered to lend the young woman her own black-and-white cat, saying
that it would soon extirpate all the mice. The bride accepted the
loan, and the old woman brought the cat, and left it in the bride's
apartment. After a few hours the cat disappeared, and the bride,
supposing it to have gone home, made no search for it. It did, indeed,
go home, and the old woman secretly disposed of it; but several days
later she came to the young woman and said that, when she lent the
cat, her house had been free from mice, but that, as soon as the cat
was gone, the mice came and multiplied so fast that now everything was
overrun by them, and she would be obliged to take the cat home again.
The young woman told her that the cat went away the same day that it
came, and she had supposed it had gone home. The old woman said it had
not, and that nothing could compensate her for the loss of it, for she
had reared it herself; that there was never before seen such a cat for
catching mice; that a cat, spotted as that one was, was seldom found;
and that it was of the rare breed which gave rise to the common
saying:

"A coal-black cat, with snowy loins,
Is worth its weight in silver coins."

and that the weight of her cat was two hundred ounces.

The young woman was greatly surprised by this estimate of the value of
the lost cat, and went to her father-in-law and related all that had
occurred. The father-in-law, knowing the character of the old woman,
could neither eat nor sleep, so harassed was he by the expectation
that she would worry his daughter-in-law till the two hundred ounces
of silver should be paid. The young woman, being a new-comer, thought
but lightly of the matter, till the old woman came again and again to
make mention of the cat. When it became apparent that she must defend
herself, the young wom