1. Now the merchant had a little daughter, called Alice. And she was a
kind little girl. She looked at the sad face of poor Dick, and she said
in a whisper to her father, "Why does not that little boy speak like
the rest?"
2. "You had better ask him," said the father, giving his little girl a
kiss before he went out of the room.
3. So Alice went up to Dick and asked him why he had not sent some
small thing that could be sold for much money in the foreign land,
though it cost only a little here.
4. "All the rest are going to send," said little Alice, "and when the
ship comes back they will get the money. Why do you not send something
in the ship too?"
5. "I have nothing to send," said poor Dick, looking very sad. "I am a
poor boy. The cook is unkind to me, and I have nothing of my own but a
cat."
6. "I have got some money in my purse, I will give it to you," said
little Alice. But Dick said that he should not like to take money from
the little girl.
[Illustration: ALL DICK HAD.]
7. Just then the merchant came back into the room. He had heard what
Dick said about having nothing but a cat.
8. "Fetch your cat, boy, and let her go," said he. "I heard the
captain of the ship say that he wanted a cat to clear the ship of mice.
He will give you money for her."
9. "Oh no, sir," cried Dick, "I could not give up my poor cat. She
loves me, and I love her. She has grown such a beauty, sir, and she can
almost talk. I could not get on without her, please, sir."
10. "Well, if you cannot be parted, why not go too?" "So I could, sir,"
said Dick. "Well, you are a smart boy, and we will see. The captain
lives near. You had better run and ask him what he thinks."
11. Dick was not long in fetching his cap. He almost flew along the
streets, and as he did so he heard Bow bells begin to ring.
12. He felt so full of high spirits at the thought of ending his hard
life in the kitchen, with the cross cook, that the bells seemed to be
singing a merry tune to him.
13. Dick stopped for a moment to listen, and as he did so, their chime
came to his ears like the sound of his own name. They seemed to say:
"Turn again, Whittington,
Lord Mayor of London."
14. "This must be my fancy," said Dick, as he ran on to the house of
the captain. "But it is very pleasant to be spoken to kindly, even by
the bells. And I wonder whether good fortune is in store for me at
last?"
* * * * *
_Write:_ Dick could not part with his cat. So his master said that he
might go with her in the ship. He went to ask the captain.
Questions: 1. What did Alice ask Dick? 2. What did Dick
answer? 3. What did his master say when he came into the
room? 4. What was Dick's reply? 5. Where did he run? 6. What
did he hear the bells say?