Cat and Mouse in Partnership

 2. Cat and Mouse in Partnership (Katze und Maus in Gesellschaft)

A cat, having made acquaintance with a mouse, professed such great love and friendship for her, that the mouse at last agreed that they should live and keep house together.

"We must make provision for the winter," said the cat, "or we shall suffer hunger, and you, little mouse, must not stir out, or you will be caught in a trap."

So they took counsel together and bought a little pot of fat. And then they could not tell where to put it for safety, but after long consideration the cat said there could not be a better place than the church, for nobody would steal there; and they would put it under the altar and not touch it until they were really in want. So this was done, and the little pot placed in safety.

But before long the cat was seized with a great wish to taste it.

"Listen to me, little mouse," said he; "I have been asked by my cousin to stand god-father to a little son she has brought into the world; he is white with brown spots; and they want to have the christening to-day, so let me go to it, and you stay at home and keep house."

"Oh yes, certainly," answered the mouse, "pray go by all means; and when you are feasting on all the good things, think of me; I should so like a drop of the sweet red wine."

But there was not a word of truth in all this; the cat had no cousin, and had not been asked to stand god-father: he went to the church, straight up to the little pot, and licked the fat off the top; then he took a walk over the roofs of the town, saw his acquaintances, stretched himself in the sun, and licked his whiskers as often as he thought of the little pot of fat; and then when it was evening he went home.

"Here you are at last," said the mouse; "I expect you have had a merry time."

"Oh, pretty well," answered the cat.

"And what name did you give the child?" asked the mouse.

"Top-off," answered the cat, drily.

"Top-off!" cried the mouse, "that is a singular and wonderful name! is it common in your family?"

"What does it matter?" said the cat; "it's not any worse than Crumb-picker, like your god-child."

A little time after this the cat was again seized with a longing.

"Again I must ask you," said he to the mouse, "to do me a favour, and keep house alone for a day. I have been asked a second time to stand god-father; and as the little one has a white ring round its neck, I cannot well refuse."

So the kind little mouse consented, and the cat crept along by the town wall until he reached the church, and going straight to the little pot of fat, devoured half of it.

"Nothing tastes so well as what one keeps to oneself," said he, feeling quite content with his day's work. When he reached home, the mouse asked what name had been given to the child.

"Half-gone," answered the cat.

"Half-gone!" cried the mouse, "I never heard such a name in my life! I'll bet it's not to be found in the calendar."

Soon after that the cat's mouth began to water again for the fat.

"Good things always come in threes," said he to the mouse; "again I have been asked to stand god-father, the little one is quite black with white feet, and not any white hair on its body; such a thing does not happen every day, so you will let me go, won't you?"

"Top-off, Half-gone," murmured the mouse, "they are such curious names, I cannot but wonder at them!"

"That's because you are always sitting at home," said the cat, "in your little grey frock and hairy tail, never seeing the world, and fancying all sorts of things."

So the little mouse cleaned up the house and set it all in order. Meanwhile the greedy cat went and made an end of the little pot of fat.

"Now all is finished one's mind will be easy," said he, and came home in the evening, quite sleek and comfortable. The mouse asked at once what name had been given to the third child.

"It won't please you any better than the others," answered the cat. "It is called All-gone."

"All-gone!" cried the mouse. "What an unheard-of-name! I never met with anything like it! All-gone! whatever can it mean?" And shaking her head, she curled herself round and went to sleep. After that the cat was not again asked to stand god-father.

When the winter had come and there was nothing more to be had out of doors, the mouse began to think of their store.

"Come, cat," said she, "we will fetch our pot of fat, how good it will taste, to be sure!"

"Of course it will," said the cat, "just as good as if you stuck your tongue out of window!"

So they set out, and when they reached the place, they found the pot, but it was standing empty.

"Oh, now I know what it all meant," cried the mouse, "now I see what sort of a partner you have been! Instead of standing god-father you have devoured it all up; first Top-off, then Half-gone, then"——

"Will you hold your tongue!" screamed the cat, "another word, and I devour you too!"

And the poor little mouse, having "All-gone" on her tongue, out it came, and the cat leaped upon her and made an end of her. And that is the way of the world.

My Notes

• This is the translation of Lucy Crane.
• This is tale type 15, "The Stealing of a Partner's Butter."
• This tale was present in every edition of Grimms' collection, always as Tale 2, and was expanded over time.

1812 version:

A cat and a mouse wanted to live together and keep house together. They also made preparations for winter and bought a pot of fat, and because they didn't know a better and safer place, they put it under the altar in the church, where it was to stand until they needed it. But one day the cat had a craving for it and went to the mouse, saying, "Listen little mouse, my cousin asked me to be godfather. She gave birth to a little son, spotted white and brown, and I'm supposed to hold him at baptism. Let me go out and you stay home alone today.”

“Yes, yes," said the mouse. "Go there, and when you eat something good, think of me, I’d be happy to drink a drop of the sweet red childbed wine.” But the cat went straight to the church and licked the greasy top off the fat. After that he strolled around the town and only came home in the evening. "You must have really enjoyed yourself," said the mouse. "What was the child's name?"

"Top Off," answered the cat.

“Top Off? That's a strange name, I haven't heard it before."

Soon afterwards the cat had a craving again, so he went to the mouse and said, "I've been asked to go be godfather again. The child has a white ring around its body, I can't refuse it. You must do me a favor and do the house-keeping alone.” The mouse said yes, but the cat went and ate up half of the fat pot. When he came home, the mouse asked, "What was this child named?"

"Half Gone."

"Half Gone? What you say! I haven't heard the name yet, it's definitely not in the calendar."

But the cat couldn't forget the pot of fat: "I've been asked to be godfather for the third time. The child is black and only has white paws, otherwise no white hair all over his body; that only happens once every few years. Will you let me go out?” 

“Top Off, Half Gone,” said the mouse. "They are such strange names, they make me think, but just go there.” The mouse kept everything in order and tidied up, while the cat ate up the pot of fat and returned full and fat again at night.

"What's the name of the third child?" 

"All Gone"

"All Gone! That's the most questionable name," said the mouse. "All Gone? What is that supposed to mean? I have never seen it printed before!” With that she shook her head and went to sleep.

Nobody wanted to ask the cat to be godfather for the fourth time, but winter soon came. When there was nothing more to be found outside, the mouse said to the cat, "Come on, let's go to the stash that we hid under the altar in the church." But when they got there, everything was empty. "Oh!" said the mouse. "Now it comes to light; you ate everything you went out. Top off, then half gone, then..." 

"Silence!" said the cat. "I'll eat you if you speak one more word!"

“All gone” was what the poor mouse already had on her lips, and as soon as she had spoken it, the cat jumped on her and swallowed her down.