A stranger attended the house of a man, a burgher, whom he did not know, for a party the burgher was hosting for his fellow townsmen. The burgher said, 'You shall take the place of honoured guest in my house as it is my custom to invite an outsider to all my parties.' The other guests sat together in a large room, but the presence of the stranger obstructed the path of their conversation. They began to resent the stranger and wished him to leave. Just then, the house cat leapt up onto his lap and went to sleep. The host and the guests began to compliment the stranger, saying the cat had shown him unusual preference and affection. The conversation then flowed freely, and the stranger began to feel at ease. But the townsmen had not correctly explained the cat's actions. It chose the unfamiliar stranger to sit on because, it calculated, that of all those present in the room, it was this stranger that it most wished would stay in the same place. The stranger could make no movement without the cat being aware of it. And for as long as the stranger made no movement, the cat need not consider any threat contained in those movements. The burgher was now contented that the stranger was obliged not to leave until the end of his party.
Ears/Hear!
