h of the small fire which smouldered in the grate.

"He's a good mouser," said the old man, "but I expect that Smith the
landlord would sell 'im to anybody for arf a crown; but we 'ad a cat in
Claybury once that you couldn't ha' bought for a hundred golden
sovereigns."

The traveller continued to caress the cat.

"A white cat, with one yaller eye and one blue one," continued the old
man. "It sounds queer, but it's as true as I sit 'ere wishing that I 'ad
another mug o' ale as good as the last you gave me."

The traveller, with a start that upset the cat's nerves, finished his own
mug, and then ordered both to be refilled. He stirred the fire into a
blaze, and, lighting his pipe and putting one foot on to the hob,
prepared to listen.

It used to belong to old man Clark, young Joe Clark's uncle, said the
ancient, smacking his lips delicately over the ale and extending a
tremulous claw to the tobacco-pouch pushed towards him; and he was never
tired of showing it off to people. He used to call it 'is blue-eyed
darling, and the fuss 'e made o' that cat was sinful.

Young Joe Clark couldn't bear it, but being down in 'is uncle's will for
five cottages and a bit o' land bringing in about forty pounds a year, he
'ad to 'ide his feelings and pretend as he loved it. He used to take it
little drops o' cream and tit-bits o' meat, and old Clark was so pleased
that 'e promised 'im that he should 'ave the cat along with all the other
property when 'e was dead.

Young Joe said he couldn't thank 'im enough, and the old man, who 'ad
been ailing a long time, made 'im come up every day to teach 'im 'ow to
take care of it arter he was gone. He taught Joe 'ow to cook its meat
and then chop it up fine; 'ow it liked a clean saucer every time for its
milk; and 'ow he wasn't to make a noise when it was asleep.

"Take care your children don't worry it, Joe," he ses one day, very
sharp. "One o' your boys was pulling its tail this morning, and I want
you to clump his 'ead for 'im."

"Which one was it?" ses Joe.

"The slobbery-nosed one," ses old Clark.

"I'll give 'im a clout as soon as I get 'ome," ses Joe, who was very fond
of 'is children.

"Go and fetch 'im and do it 'ere," ses the old man; "that'll teach 'im to
love animals."

Joe went off 'ome to fetch the boy, and arter his mother 'ad washed his
face, and wiped his nose, an' put a clean pinneyfore on 'im, he took 'im
to 'is uncle's and clouted his 'ead for 'im. Arter t