Miss Griffin, 'it is an immense chain I am bound with.
However, you may come in and talk more at your ease.'

"The fox peeped all round, and seeing no sign of the griffin, he entered
the lower cave, and stole up-stairs to the upper story; but, as he went
on, he saw such immense piles of jewels and gold, and all sorts of
treasure, that he did not wonder at the old griffin sneering at the
cat's calling herself an heiress. He was so delighted with this wealth,
that he entered the upper cave, resolved to consider Miss Griffin the
most beautiful creature in the world.

"There was, unfortunately, a great chasm between the landing-place and
the spot where the young lady was chained, and he found it impossible to
pass. The cavern was very dark, but he saw enough of Miss Griffin's
figure to perceive, in spite of her hooped petticoat, that she was the
image of her father, and the most hideous scarecrow the earth ever saw.

"However, he concealed his disgust, and began to compliment her about
her beauty, and did it so well, that she was, or pretended to be,
enchanted with him. He implored her to run away with him the moment she
was unchained.

"'That is impossible,' said she, 'you might as well ask me for a piece
of my nose, for my father never unchains me except in his presence, and
then I cannot stir out of his sight.'

"'The good-for-nothing wretch!' said Reynard; 'I wish the rocks would
come down about his ears: what is to be done?'

"'Why, there is only one thing that I know of,' answered Miss Griffin,
'which is this: I always make his soup for him, and if I could mix
something in it that would put him fast asleep, before he had time to
chain me up again, I might slip softly down, and carry off all the
treasure on my back.'

'Oh! delightful!' exclaimed Reynard, 'what invention! what wit! I will
go and get some poppies, that will set him snoring directly.'

"'Alas!' sighed Miss Griffin, 'poppies have no effect upon griffins; the
only thing that can ever put my father fast asleep, is a nice young cat
boiled in his soup; it is perfectly astonishing what a charm it is. But
where to get a cat? it must be a young lady cat, too!'

"Reynard was a little startled when he heard this; so very singular,
that a boiled cat would put any one to sleep; but he thought that
griffins were different from the rest of the world, and, of course,
nothing was too hard to do to win such a rich heiress.

"'I know a cat, a maiden cat,' said