One day a man who was driving a wagon came through the village. He had two fine large horses to pull it, and, as he walked by their side, he spoke kindly to them, and never whipped them. This made Dick think that he must be a good man. 5

"If he is kind to the horses," said Dick to himself, "perhaps he will be kind to a poor lad like me." So Dick went up to speak to the carter and asked him to let him walk along by the side of his wagon.

The man, hearing from poor Dick that he had no parents, and seeing how ragged his clothes were, took pity on him. He told Dick that he was going with the wagon to London.

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"You may come with me if you like," said the 15 man. "I do not think that you can be much worse off there than you are here; and perhaps you may be better off in the great city. You may ride in the wagon if you like."

Dick was glad enough to do this, and the good 20 driver took care to share his food with him on the way. He took as much care of the horses and of Dick as he did of himself. Dick got safe to London.

Now before he had seen the streets of London, Dick had thought that they were made of gold, for an old man in the village at home had told him so. But the old man had only been joking. 5 He meant that people often became rich there. So Dick ran away from the wagon in a great hurry, to find the golden pavements. But he saw nothing except mud and dirt, and a crowd of people all looking very busy, who took no notice 10 of him.

Instead of being able to pick up little bits of gold from the streets when he wanted money, Dick now found that he could not find even a penny to buy a loaf for himself, and nobody gave 15 him one either.

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He stayed all night in the streets, and, next morning, he got up and walked about, asking those whom he met to give him something to keep him from starving.

Hardly any man or boy whom he asked gave him a copper. But at last a woman, seeing his pale face, drew out two pennies and put them into Dick's thin hand.

Being almost too tired and weak to buy food

Dick laid himself down on the doorstep of a big house. He almost wished to die, for he felt so lonely and forlorn in that great town, where no one had time to think about a poor little ragged boy.

Oral Exercise. Read the first four paragraphs. Tell about Dick when he lived in a country village. Read the next five paragraphs. Tell about the man who drove into the village. What did he tell Dick to do? Read the next five paragraphs. Tell what Dick thought about the streets of London. What happened to him the first day?

Written Exercise. Change the following questions to

statements:

Was Dick a poor little country boy? One day did a kind man offer to take him to London? Was Dick glad to go? Did he think the streets were paved with gold? When he reached London did he find any gold? Did he wander about until he was tired and hungry? Then did he lie down upon the doorstep of a big house?

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DICK AND HIS CAT (Continued)

As Dick was hiding his face in his hands and thinking these sad things, he felt something very soft rubbing gently against his neck, which was

close to the hard, cold stone step, and he heard a pleasant sound at his ear. It was the purring of a poor little stray cat, which was trying to make friends with him.

Dick sat up, and stroked puss. "Why, you 5 are just like me!" said Dick. "I believe that you have no home and no friends either, you poor little thing."

When the cat heard Dick speak so kindly to her, she crept into his lap, looking into his face 10 as if to say, "Are you going to let me come, or will you drive me away, as all the rest of the world does?"

Finding that Dick put one arm around her, she curled herself up, purring loudly, and seemed to 15 think that she had found a home with him on the doorstep.

"Poor pussy!" said Dick, "how thin you are, and how rough your coat is! Come, I will go and get something for us both to eat." Dick ran 20 along the street with the cat in his arms.

No wonder that the cat was glad to have Dick take care of her. For she had been hunted through the streets for many days. The people