Page:History of Whittington and his cat (3).pdf/8

8 About this time, Miss Alice was going out one morning for a walk: and the footman happening to be out of the way, little Dick, who had received from Mr. Fitzwarren a neat suit of clothes, to go to church on Sundays, was ordered to put them on and walk behind her. As they walked along, Miss Alice, seeing a poor woman with one child in her arms, and another at her back, pulled out her purse, and gave her some money; and as she was putting it again into her pocket, she dropped it on the ground, and walked on. Luckily Dick, who was behind, saw what she had done, picked it up, and immediately presented it to her.

Miss in a short time slipped into the kitchen, having formed a a most unfavourable opinion of Mrs. Cook's humanity, from what she had seen of her behaviour to the poor boy, to know how they went on; and, having learned from himself how long he had been a poor orphan, and how he was allured to London, and the



grievous distress that journey had plunged him into, she hastened to her father and mother, with tears in her eyes, and pleaded so successfully for him, that it was agreed, if he proved a good boy, he should remain in the family till he could be better provided for, as the only work that the family could give him, was assisting the cook, cleaning shoes, &c.

But most unfortunately as it then appeared, the choice of where he should sleep being left to the cook, she had the cruelty to hoist him up into a loft, common in old built houses, which, in addition to the hard bed she gave him to lie on, was infested with rats and mice without number.

Whittington, nevertheless, resolved not to complain, for, under the roof with such worthy people as Mr. Fitzwarren and his wife, not forgetting their little daughter, he thought his lot