WHITTINGTON AND HIS CAT. 457

captain, she ventured to touch her too, saying all the time,
“Poot, poot,” for she could not speak English. At last the
queen took puss on her lap, and by degrees became quite free
with her, till puss purred herself to sleep. When the king had
seen the actions of mistress puss, and was told that she would
soon have young ones, which might in time kill all the rats and
mice in his country, he bought the captain’s whole ship’s cargo;
and afterwards gave hima great deal of gold besides, which was
worth still more, for the cat. The captain then took leave of
the king and queen, and the great persons of their court; and,
with all his ship's erew, set sail with a fair wind for England,
and, after a happy voyage, arrived safe at London.

One morning, when Mr. Fitzwarren had just come into the
counting-house, and seated himself at the desk, somebody carne
tap, tap, tap, at the door. “ Who is there?” said Mr. Fit:
warren, ‘A friend,” answered some one, opening the doo
when who should it be but the captain and mate of the ship,
just arrived from the coast of Barbary, and followed by several
men, carrying a vast many lumps of gold, that had been paid
him by the king of Barbary for the ship's cargo. They then
told the story of the cat, and showed the rich present that the
king had sent to Dick for her; upon which the merchant
called out to his servants,

“Go fetch him, we will tell him of the same 5
Pray call him Mr. Whittington by name.”

Mr. Fitzwarren now showed himself to be a really good man,
for when some of his clerks said so great a treasure was too
much for such a boy as Dick, he answered “God forbid that I
should keep the value of a single penny from him! It is all
his own, and he shall have every farthing’s worth of it to him-
self." He then sent for Dick, who at that time happened to
be scouring the cook's kettles, and was quite dirty ; so that he