no; you have deserved something better
than that.' And seizing her in his strong paws he plunged her into the
liquid gold. Wonder of wonders! when Lizina came out of the jar she
shone from head to foot like the sun in the heavens on a fine summer's
day. Her pretty pink cheeks and long black hair alone kept their natural
colour, otherwise she had become like a statue of pure gold. Father
Gatto purred loudly with satisfaction. 'Go home,' he said, 'and see
your mother and sisters; but take care if you hear the cock crow to turn
towards it; if on the contrary the ass brays, you must look the other
way.'

The little maid, having gratefully kissed the white paw of the old cat,
set off for home; but just as she got near her mother's house the cock
crowed, and quickly she turned towards it. Immediately a beautiful
golden star appeared on her forehead, crowning her glossy black hair.
At the same time the ass began to bray, but Lizina took care not to look
over the fence into the field where the donkey was feeding. Her
mother and sister, who were in front of their house, uttered cries of
admiration and astonishment when they saw her, and their cries became
still louder when Lizina, taking her handkerchief from her pocket, drew
out also a handful of gold.

For some days the mother and her two daughters lived very happily
together, for Lizina had given them everything she had brought away
except her golden clothing, for that would not come off, in spite of all
the efforts of her sister, who was madly jealous of her good fortune.
The golden star, too, could not be removed from her forehead. But all
the gold pieces she drew from her pockets had found their way to her
mother and sister.

'I will go now and see what I can get out of the pussies,' said Peppina,
the elder girl, one morning, as she took Lizina's basket and fastened
her pockets into her own skirt. 'I should like some of the cats' gold
for myself,' she thought, as she left her mother's house before the sun
rose.

The cat colony had not yet taken another servant, for they knew they
could never get one to replace Lizina, whose loss they had not yet
ceased to mourn. When they heard that Peppina was her sister, they all
ran to meet her. 'She is not the least like her,' the kittens whispered
among themselves.

'Hush, be quiet!' the older cats said; 'all servants cannot be pretty.'

No, decidedly she was not at all like Lizina. Even the most reasonable
and large-minded o