over the dead ogre's land and said the same thing to
the woodmen and the gamekeepers on the road, who all obeyed him, till
the king at last said to the miller's son, "You have a fine property, my
lord Marquis de Carrabas." When puss came to the ogre's castle, he stood
on the steps and waited till the coach drove up.

"Will your majesty honour my lord by taking some refreshment," he said;
and the king who had not so fine a castle belonging to himself, alighted
from his carriage and entered the house. Now, the ogre was just going to
his dinner when puss had called and killed him, so there was a very fine
feast upon the table. Puss told the ogre's servants they should be made
into mincemeat if they did not consent to take the Marquis de Carrabas
for their master, and they were glad to serve him instead of the ogre.
The king took such a fancy to the rich Marquis de Carrabas, that he gave
him the princess for his wife. They lived in the ogre's fine castle
(which puss presented to his master), and the most faithful and the
happiest of their servants was "Puss in Boots."

[Illustration]

THE UGLY DUCKLING.

[Illustration]

THE UGLY DUCKLING.

Once there was a duck who had just hatched a brood of ducklings; one of
them had been longer coming out of the shell than the others, and when
it came it was very ugly. But its mother did not love it less on that
account; mothers never think their little ones ugly. It could swim very
well, so she knew it was not a young turkey, as an old duck had said it
might be, and she took it with all the rest of the brood to the
farm-yard to introduce it into good society. An old turkey, who was very
grand, came up to the duck, and said, "Your children are all pretty
except one. There is one ugly duckling. I wish you could improve him a
little." "That is impossible, your grace," replied the mother, "he is
not pretty; but he has a good disposition, and swims even better than
the others." "Well, the other ducklings are graceful enough," said the
turkey, "pray make yourselves at home, here."

But how could the ugly duckling do so? The whole farm-yard laughed at
him. The ducks pecked him, the fowls beat him, the girl who fed the
poultry drove him away with a stick.

[Illustration]

The poor duckling flew over the pailings, and joined some wild ducks who
lived on the moor. "You are very ugly," said the wild ducks; "but that
will not matter if you do not want to marry into our fami