One day, the king and his beautiful daughter were taking a carriage ride through the countryside. That was exactly what Puss had hoped for.
“Master,” he said, “if you do exactly as I say, I will make you a wealthy man.”
Puss told his master to take off his clothes and jump into the river. The miller’s son did as he was told, while Puss hid the clothes behind a bush. Just then, the king’s carriage came along.
“Help!” cried Puss. “The Marquis of Carabas is drowning!”
The king stopped and sent his men to the rescue. While they were pulling the miller’s son out of the water, the cat explained that while his master was bathing, some bandits had stolen his suit.
The king ordered to fetch some royal clothes, and in the king’s clothing the miller’s son looked very handsome. The princess saw him and liked him at once.
The marquis got into the carriage, while Puss ran ahead. Meeting with some farmers, who were mowing a meadow, he asked them to say the land belonged to the Marquis of Carabas. The poor farmers, hoping to get a reward, agreed.
The king did not fail to ask the mowers whose meadow they were mowing.
“To our lord Marquis of Carabas,” they all answered.
“What a fine estate!” said the king.
Puss, who still ran ahead, met some reapers, and asked them the same thing. When the king passed by a moment later, he wanted to know to whom all that corn belonged.
“To our lord Marquis of Carabas,” replied the reapers; and the king congratulated the miller’s son again.
Each time, the carriage stopped, the king was told that the land belonged to the Marquis. The king was astonished at his vast estates.
In the meantime, Puss reached a castle that belonged to an ogre who also owned the land of the farmers.
“I hear you can turn into any kind of animal,” said Puss to the ogre.
“This is true,” answered the ogre proudly, “and to prove it, you shall see me now become a lion.”
The lion was terrifying! Puss nearly jumped out of his boots. But he didn’t let it show.
“Now, can you turn into something smaller?” he asked.
“I can turn into anything!” boasted the ogre.
“Then let’s see you turn into a mouse!” said Puss slyly.
When the carriage arrived at the castle, Puss ran out shouting, “Welcome to the castle of the Marquis of Carabas!”
“What! My lord Marquis?” cried the king, “and does this castle also belong to you?”
The king was impressed. “I want you to be my son-in-law.”
The same day, the marquis married the princess. And they lived happily ever after.
Puss became a great lord and never ran after mice anymore, except for fun.
What I fixed: I made every speaking line start with an opening quotation mark and end with a matching closing quotation mark so the talk looks correct and is easy to read.