said, and took out his handkerchief and spread it at Tommie's feet and on
it he placed not one, but three gold pieces.

When the villagers saw the gold pieces glittering in the sun and beheld
the radiant face of Carl, they all began to wonder, and each person
wanted to try his own luck. "After all," said each one to himself, "if I
don't like what the cat says I needn't pay him anything."

The next person to go up was the village tanner, whose skin was like
leather and whose eyes were little like a pig's. Tommie was already
acquainted with him, having been kicked out of his tannery once when on
an innocent mousing expedition.

"Say," said the tanner, "will my Uncle Jean leave me his farm?"

"No," answered Tommie, winking his left eye. "That he won't! He knows you
are always wishing he would die!"

The tanner was so angry that he snarled: "Don't you ever let me catch you
around the tannery again, or I'll make you into a muff for my daughter."

"Black furs are not fashionable this winter," said Tommie. "Next?"

Everybody laughed when they saw that the tanner hadn't paid money for
his information, and so, presumably, didn't like it. But strangely
enough, instead of discouraging this led them on to try their luck; and
the next person who came to ask Tommie a question was poor, old,
half-blind Henley the miser. He put his mouth close to the cat's ear, so
the people behind him wouldn't catch what he said, and in a hoarse voice
he asked, "Say, old whiskers, will my fine ship loaded with dates and