A Fable (in Short Story Collection Vol. 028 )

MP3 Audio CD. A Fable (in Short Story Collection Vol. 028 )

Once upon a time an artist who had painted a small and very beautiful
picture placed it so that he could see it in the mirror. He said, “This
doubles the distance and softens it, and it is twice as lovely as it was
before.”

The animals out in the woods heard of this through the housecat, who was
greatly admired by them because he was so learned, and so refined and
civilized, and so polite and high-bred, and could tell them so much
which they didn't know before, and were not certain about afterward.
They were much excited about this new piece of gossip, and they asked
questions, so as to get at a full understanding of it. They asked what a
picture was, and the cat explained.

“It is a flat thing,” he said; “wonderfully flat, marvelously flat,
enchantingly flat and elegant. And, oh, so beautiful!”

That excited them almost to a frenzy, and they said they would give the
world to see it. Then the bear asked:

“What is it that makes it so beautiful?”

“It is the looks of it,” said the cat.

This filled them with admiration and uncertainty, and they were more
excited than ever. Then the cow asked:

“What is a mirror?”

“It is a hole in the wall,” said the cat. “You look in it, and there
you see the picture, and it is so dainty and charming and ethereal and
inspiring in its unimaginable beauty that your head turns round and
round, and you almost swoon with ecstasy.”

The ass had not said anything as yet; he now began to throw doubts.
He said there had never been anything as beautiful as this before, and
probably wasn't now. He said that when it took a whole basketful of
sesquipedalian adjectives to