sound, and ran. And that morning, when the family of Master
Fitzwarren assembled for their early meal, and the scolding cook took
possession of the kitchen, Dick Whittington was in his place, scouring
the pots and pans in the scullery, singing to himself a tune no one had
ever heard before.

Only a few days after this adventure of Dick's, news came of the arrival
in port of one of Master Fitzwarren's vessels with a valuable cargo on
board. Now it was the custom in those days, in some houses, for all the
servants of a family to invest something in the fortunes of any vessel
their master might send out; and when, many months before this, Master
Fitzwarren had been equipping the vessel now in question, he had
summoned all his servants together, and beginning with the chief, had
called upon them to put their savings into his venture, promising each a
fair return of whatever profit his share should entitle him to at the
end of the voyage.

Dick, poor boy, had no money; nothing in the world but a cat, whom he
loved as his only friend, and to whom he owed no common gratitude for
the manner in which she had protected him against the rats that infested
his garret. When it came to his turn to put his share into the voyage,
he had not the heart to offer this companion--and he had nothing else he
could call his own--so he begged to be excused. His master, however,
insisted that, as his servant, he must put down whatever he had, however
little, and even though this cat had cost only a penny, to sea she must
go, and Dick should have full value for her when the voyage was over.

Dick wept at this, and the young daughter of Master Fitzwarren, being
moved to pity, offered from her own money what would preserve to the lad
his four-footed friend. But not even this would the stern merchant
allow, and Dick therefore had to bid a tearful farewell to his
favourite, and resign himself to his loss.

All this had taken place many months ago.

Now when the "Unicorn"--that was the name of the vessel--returned to
port, great was the astonishment of everybody (and no one's greater than
Dick's) to find that the principal portion of the treasures on board
belonged to the little scullery boy of Master Fitzwarren.

The very first day of its arrival there was brought to the house a
cabinet of jewels, forming part of the boy's share, which was considered
too precious to be left on board ship. And the men who brought it told
this marvellous sto