Once upon a time, a miller died and left his three sons everything he had. The eldest son got the mill. The middle son got the donkey. And the youngest son got... the cat.

"What am I supposed to do with a cat?" said the youngest son sadly. "My brothers can grind flour and carry grain. All I have is a cat."

But this was no ordinary cat. He looked up at his master and said, "Don't worry. Just get me a good pair of boots and a sack, and you'll see what I can do."

The young man was so surprised to hear the cat talk that he did exactly as he was told. The cat pulled on the boots — and they fit perfectly. He slung the sack over his shoulder and set off with a swagger.

First, the cat went into the fields and caught a fat rabbit. He marched straight to the king's palace and bowed before the king.

"Your Majesty, please accept this fine rabbit as a gift from my master, the Marquis of Carabas." The cat had made this name up entirely, but the king didn't know that.

"How generous!" said the king. "Thank your master for me."

The cat brought gifts to the king day after day — rabbits, partridges, fish — always from "the Marquis of Carabas." The king began to think this Marquis must be a very important person.

One day, the cat learned that the king and his daughter would be riding along the river. He ran to his master. "Quick! Take off your clothes and jump in the river!"

"What? Why?"

"Just trust me!"

When the king's carriage came by, the cat ran into the road, waving his paws. "Help! Help! The Marquis of Carabas is drowning! Thieves have stolen his clothes!"

The king recognized the name at once. He ordered his guards to pull the young man from the river and bring him the finest clothes from the royal wardrobe. Dressed in silk and velvet, the miller's son looked quite handsome indeed. The princess thought so too.

The king invited him to ride in the carriage. The cat ran ahead.

He came to a field where farmers were working. "Listen carefully," said the cat. "When the king passes by, tell him these fields belong to the Marquis of Carabas. If you don't, I'll... well, you don't want to know."

When the king passed, he asked who owned the beautiful fields. "The Marquis of Carabas!" said the farmers. The king was more impressed than ever.

The cat ran ahead again, all the way to a great castle. This castle belonged to a powerful ogre who could transform himself into any creature.

The cat marched right up to the ogre. "I've heard you can turn into a lion," he said. "I don't believe it."

The ogre turned into a roaring lion. The cat pretended to be impressed but not too scared. "Very good. But can you turn into something small? A mouse, for instance? That would truly be remarkable."

The ogre, who was powerful but not very clever, turned himself into a tiny mouse. In a flash, the cat pounced and gobbled him up.

Minutes later, the king's carriage arrived at the castle. The cat stood at the gate, boots polished, tail high.

"Welcome, Your Majesty, to the castle of the Marquis of Carabas!"

The king was astonished. The princess was enchanted. The miller's son was thoroughly confused but smiled and nodded.

In time, the miller's son married the princess. He made a very good lord, as it turned out — kind, fair, and just. And the cat? He never chased mice again, except occasionally, for sport.

Though he kept the boots.