The bride said she had not. A few days later the old woman
came again, and during the visit the bride remarked that, before the
matter was mentioned, she had heard no scratching among her boxes, but
that since that time she had listened for it, and had heard it every
night. The old woman advised her to look carefully after her clothing,
saying that there were evidently many mice in the house, and that she
would be likely at any time to find her best garments nibbled into
shreds. The old woman knew there was no cat in the house, but she
inquired whether there was one, and on hearing that there was not, she
offered to lend the young woman her own black-and-white cat, saying
that it would soon extirpate all the mice. The bride accepted the
loan, and the old woman brought the cat, and left it in the bride's
apartment. After a few hours the cat disappeared, and the bride,
supposing it to have gone home, made no search for it. It did, indeed,
go home, and the old woman secretly disposed of it; but several days
later she came to the young woman and said that, when she lent the
cat, her house had been free from mice, but that, as soon as the cat
was gone, the mice came and multiplied so fast that now everything was
overrun by them, and she would be obliged to take the cat home again.
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