Concerning Cats in England 



ard." One fortunate day, however, he conceived 

 the idea of buying a cat, and as good luck would have 

 it, he was enabled within a few days to earn a penny 

 or two by blacking the boots of a guest at the house. 

 That day he met a woman with a cat for sale, and 

 after some dickering (for she asked more money for 

 it than the boy possessed in the world), Dick Whit- 

 tington carried home his cat and put it in a cupboard 

 or closet opening from his room. That night when 

 he retired he let the cat out of the cupboard, and 

 she evidently had " no end of fun " ; for, according to 

 these authentic accounts, " she destroyed all the ver- 

 min which ventured to make their appearance." For 

 some time after that she passed her days in the 

 cupboard (in hiding from the cook) and her nights 

 in catching mice. 



And then came the change. Mr. Fitzwarren was 

 fitting out a vessel for Algiers, and kindly offered all 

 his servants a chance to send something to barter with 

 the natives. Poor Dick had nothing but his cat, but 

 the commercial instinct was even then strong within 

 him, and with an enterprise worthy of the early efforts 

 of any of our self-made men, he decided to send that, 

 and accordingly placed it, " while the tears run plenti- 

 fully down his cheeks," in the hands of the master of 

 the vessel. She must have been a most exemplary 

 cat, for by the time they had reached Algiers, the 

 captain was so fond of her that he allowed no one to 

 handle her but himself. Not even he, however, ex- 



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