Well the orphan bought the kitten, and afterwards hired himself to a merchant, to sit in his shop. That merchant's business began to prosper wonderfully. He couldn't supply goods fast enough; purchasers carried off everything in a twinkling. The merchant got ready to go to sea, freighted a ship, and said to the orphan: "Give me your cat; maybe it will catch mice on board, and amuse me." "Pray take it, master! only if you lose it, I shan't let you off cheap." The merchant arrived in a far off land, and put up at an inn. The landlord saw that he had a great deal of money, so he gave him a bedroom which was infested by countless swarms of rats and mice, saying to himself, "If they should happen to eat him up, his money will belong to me." For in that country they knew nothing about cats, and the rats and mice had completely got the upper hand. Well the merchant took the cat with him to his room and went to bed. Next morning the landlord came into the room. There was the merchant alive and well, holding the cat in his arms, and stroking its fur; the cat was purring away, singing its song, and on the floor lay a perfect heap of dead rats and mice! "Master merchant, sell me that beastie," says the landlord. "Certainly." "What do you want for it?" "A mere trifle. I'll make the beastie stand on his hind legs while I hold him up by his forelegs, and you shall pile gold pieces around him, so as just to hide him--I shall be content with that!" The landlord agreed to the bargain. The merchant gave him the cat, received a sackful of gold, and as soon as he had settled his affairs, started on his way back. As he sailed across the seas, he thought: "Why should I give the gold to that orphan? Such a lot of money in return for a mere cat! that would be too much of a good thing. No, much better keep it myself." The moment he had made up his mind to the sin, all of a sudden there arose a storm--such a tremendous one! the ship was on the point of sinking. "Ah, accursed one that I am! I've been longing for what doesn't belong to me; O Lord, forgive me a sinner! I won't keep back a single copeck." The moment the merchant began praying the winds were stilled, the sea became calm, and the ship went sailing on prosperously to the quay. "Hail, master!" says the orphan. "But where's my cat?" "I've sold it," answers the merchant; "There's your money, take it in full." The orphan received the sack of gold, took leave of the merchant, and went to the strand, where the shipmen were. From them he obtained a shipload of incense in exchange for his gold, and he strewed the incense along the strand, and burnt it in honor of God. The sweet savor spread through all that land, and suddenly an old man appeared, and he said to the orphan: "Which desirest thou--riches, or a good wife?" "I know not, old man."