ed Little Muck; "and as I was very hungry, I came in too." The
old woman laughed and said: "Where in the world do you come from, you
odd little fellow? The whole city knows that I cook for nobody but my
dear cats, and now and then I invite company for them out of the
neighborhood, as you see." Little Muck told the old woman how hardly it
had fared with him since his father's death, and begged that she would
permit him to eat with her cats to-day. The woman, who was pleased with
the simple-hearted manner in which the dwarf told his story, allowed
him to be her guest, and provided food and drink for him bountifully.

When he had eaten his fill, and felt much stronger, the old woman
looked at him for some time before saying: "Little Muck, remain in my
service; you will have little to do, and will be well provided for."
Little Muck, who had found the cats' soup very nice, consented, and
became the servant of Ahavzi. His duties were light, but quite
peculiar. Ahavzi had, for instance, six cats, and every morning Little
Muck had to comb their fur and rub in costly ointments; when the old
woman went out he had also to look after the cats; when they were to be
fed, he had to set the dishes before them; and at night it was his duty
to lay them on silken cushions and cover them with velvet blankets.
There were also a few small dogs in the house, which he had to wait
upon; still, these received but little attention as compared with the
cats, which Ahavzi considered as her own children. As for the rest,
Muck led as lonely a life as he had suffered in his father's house;
for, with the exception of the old woman, he saw only dogs and cats the
livelong day.

For a little while, however, all went well with him. He always had
enough to eat and but little to do, and the old woman found no fault
with him. But after a while the cats became unruly; when the old woman
had gone out, they would fly around the room as if possessed, throwing
things about, and breaking many a fine dish that stood in their way.
But whenever they heard the old woman coming up the stairs, they
crouched down on their cushions, and wagged their tails, as if nothing
had occurred. Ahavzi got very angry when she found her rooms in such
disorder, and laid it all to Muck's charge; and though he might protest
his innocence as much as he pleased, she believed her cats, which
looked so harmless, more than she did her servant.

Little Muck felt very sad that he had failed to