The Ogre was only too pleased to find a chance of showing how very
clever he was, so he promised to transform himself into any animal
Puss might mention.
"Oh! I will leave the choice to you," said the cat politely.
Immediately there appeared where the Ogre had been seated, an enormous
lion, roaring, and lashing with its tail, and looking as though it
meant to gobble the cat up in a trice.
Puss was really very much frightened, and, jumping out of the window,
managed to scramble on to the roof, though he could scarcely hold on
to the tiles on account of his high-heeled boots.
There he sat, refusing to come down, until the Ogre changed himself
into his natural form, and laughingly called to him that he would not
hurt him.
Then Puss ventured back into the room, and began to compliment the
Ogre on his cleverness.
"Of course, it was all very wonderful," he said, "but it would be more
wonderful still if you, who are so great and fierce, could transform
yourself into some timid little creature, such as a mouse. That, I
suppose, would be quite impossible?"
"Not at all," said the vain Ogre; "one is quite as easy to me as the
other, as I will show you." And in a moment a little brown mouse was
frisking about all over the floor, whilst the Ogre had vanished.
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