WHITTINGTON AND HIS CAT. 449

nothing at all about them, and was left a ragged little fellow run-
ning about a country village. As poor Dick was not old enough
to work, he was very badly off; he got but little for his dinner,
and sometimes nothing at all for his breakfast ; for the people
who lived in the village were very poor themselves, and could
not spare him much more than the parings of potatoes, and now
and thena hard crust. For all this, Dick Whittington wasa very
sharp boy, and was always listening to what every body talked
about. On Sunday he was sure to get near the farmers, as
they were talking in the churchyard before the clergyman had
come ; and once a week you might sec little Dick leaning against
the sign-post of the village ale-house, where people stopped to
drink as they came from the next market-town; and when the
barber's shop-door was open, Dick listened to all the news that
his customers told one another. In this manner, Dick heard
many strange things about the great city called London: for
the foolish country people at that time thought that folks in
London were all fine gentlemen and ladies, and that the streets
were paved with gold.

One day, a large wagon and eight horses, with bells at their
heads, drove through the village, while Dick was standing by
the sign-post. He thought that this wagon must be going to
the fine town of London: so he took courage, and asked the
wagoner to let him walk with him by the side of the wagon.
As soon as the wagoner heard poor Dick had neither father
nor mother, and saw by his ragged clothes that he could not be
worse off than he was, he told him he might go if he would ;
so they set off together.

I could never find how little Dick contrived to get meat and
drink on the road ; nor how he could walk so far, for it was a
long way ; nor what he did at night for a place to lie down to
sleep in. Perhaps some good-natured people in the towns

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