Dick Whittington and his Cat (1)

Dick Whittington and his Cat (1)

A long time ago, there lived a poor boy called Dick Whittington who had no Mummy and Daddy to look after him.

His parent died when he was very young, so he was often very hungry.

He lived in a little village in the country.

In those days country folk thought that the people of London were fine ladies and gentleman who were so rich; and the street of London paved with  gold.   

He’d often heard these strange stories about a far away place London,
and longed to go to London and have fine clothes and lots to eat.

Dick Whittington was determined that he would go there and dig up enough gold from the streets to make his fortune.

One day, a wagon with eight horses stopped in the village.

He met a friendly waggoner who was going to London.

Dick begged the wagger to take him to London.

The man felt sorry for Dick when he saw how ragged and poor he was.
So he agreed to take Dick Whittington to London, and they set off immediately.

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赤ずきんちゃんがお馴染みの物語ですので、突然３本立てとなりますが、わりと日本でなじみのない物語を探してきました。宜しくお願いします。

なお、現在、これまでの目次を鋭意作成中（＝これから作る）です。
同時に、日本語タイトルでの目次も作成予定です。

Dick Whittington and his Cat (2)

Dick Whittington and his Cat (2)

When they reached the wonderful big city that he had heard so much, Dick couldn’t believe his eyes.

He could see horses, carriages, hundreds of people, great tall buildings, lots of mud, but nowhere could he see any gold. 



How dirty it seemed ! 

What a disappointment, how was he going to make his fortune? 
He wandered up and down the streets, but not one was paved with gold. There was dirt everywhere.

Dick walked until it was dark.
He sat down in a corner and fell asleep on the street.

When morning came, he was very cold and hungry.  
He had no money.
How was he even going to buy food?

After a few days, he asked everyone he met for help, and only one or two gave him a halfpenny to buy some bread.

For days, he lived on the streets, trying to find some work. 

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タグ：Dick Whittington and his Cat 西新井 やさしい英語

Dick Whittington and his Cat (3)

Dick Whittington and his Cat (3)

After a few days he was so hungry.

At last, one day, he collapsed in a ragged heap on the doorstep of a rich merchant’s house. 

Out of the house came a cook, who was an unkind, bad-tempered woman.  

“Be off, lazy boy, ” she shouted, “you dirty ragamuffin, if you stay here  one minute I'll throw boiling hot, dishwater over you,” and she tried to sweep him off the step with a broom.



At that moment, rich merchant named Fitzwarren came back at his house for dinner. 

When he saw what was happening, he asked Dick why he had been lying there.
" You're old enough to work, my boy," he said.
" I'm afraid you're just lazy. "

" But sir, that is not so, " Dick said.
He told Mr Fitzwarren about his attempts to find work and described how hungry he was.
Poor Dick was so weak that when he tried to stand, he fell down again.

When the Kind merchant saw this, he took pity on poor Dick. 

" Carry him into the house, he could stay here for a while, ” the merchant ordered his groom and given a good dinner.

When Dick was fed and rested, Dick was given a job working in the kitchen, helping the cook.

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Dick Whittington and his Cat (4)

Dick Whittington and his Cat (4)

He was very grateful to the Merchant.

But, alas, the cook was always very bad tempered and, when no one was looking, she used to beat and pinch him with the broomsticks or ladle, or whatever else she had handy.

At last Alice, Mr Fitzwarren's daughter, heard how badly the cook was treating Dick.

She told the cook that she would lose her job if she didn't treat him kindly, for the family had become quite fond of Dick.

After that the cook treated Dick more better, but he had another problem.

The other thing that made Dick sad was that he had to sleep in a tiny attic at the very top of the house and it was full of rats and mice.



Every night, rats and mice crawled all over his body and tried to bite his nose .
Sometimes he hardly slept a wink.

He was so desperate to get rid of them.

Sometimes he earned a penny for cleaning a merchant's shoes.
He saved up all his pennies.

Luckily, one day he met a girl holding a cat and bought it with all his pennies.

The cat was a very special cat.
She was the best cat in all of London at catching mice and rats.

After a few weeks Dick’s life was much easier because of his clever puss who had eaten all the rats and mice and he was able to sleep in peace.   

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Dick Whittington and his Cat (5)

Dick Whittington and his Cat (5)

Not long after, Mr Fitzwarren had a ship ready to sail.

Dick heard the merchant asking everyone in the house if they wanted to send out anything on board his ship that they thought they could sell.

It was his custom to give his servants a chance to make their fortune.
  
The ship was going on a long voyage to the other side of the world and the captain would sell everything on the ship, so they could all make some money.

The servants all had something to send to the ship except Dick.
Oh, Poor Dick, what could he sell?
He had nothing to sell.

Then Miss Alice said, " I will provide something for him, " but her father told her that it must be something of his own.

Suddenly, a thought came to him

" Please sir, will you take my cat? "
" I have nothing but my cat, which I bought for a pennies. "

Everyone burst out laughing, but the merchant smiled and said:
" Yes Dick, I will, and all the money from her sale will go to you."

Dick fetched poor Puss.
There were tears in his eyes when he gave her to the ship's captain.

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Dick Whittington and his Cat (5)

Dick Whittington and his Cat (5)

After the merchant had left from the city Dick was on his own again with the mice and rats crawling over him by night.


And the the cook being even nastier in the day because there was no-one to stop her.

At last Dick could bear it no longer.
Dick decided to run away.

He walked away for a while and then sat down on the street to rest.

While he was sitting, the bells of all the churches began to chime.

As they rang, it seemed that they were saying over and over :
" Turn again Dick Whittington," " Lord Mayor of London "

" Lord Mayor of London. Goodness, gracious, gosh " Dick astonished. 
 
" If I’m going to be Lord Mayor of London I’d better stay.  I’ll put up with nasty cook and the scurrying mice and rats. When I’m mayor I’ll show her! "

So back he went.

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Dick Whittington and his Cat (7)

Dick Whittington and his Cat (7)

Meanwhile, the merchant and his ship travelled across the other side of the world, until it came to a foreign harbor where they had never seen a ship from England before. 

The people were so pleased to see them and were so welcoming that the merchant decided to send some presents to their king and queen. 

The king and queen were so delighted that they invited them all to a feast. 

But, believe it or not, as soon as the food was brought in hundreds of rats appeared as if by magic and swarmed over the dishes and gobbled it all up before they had a chance to eat. 

"Oh dear" said the king " this is always happening – I never get a chance to eat my apple pie. What can I do? "

" I have an idea " said the merchant.
" I have a very special cat which has travelled with me all the way from London, and she will gobble up all your rats faster than they gobbled up your feast."

" Bring it to me, " the King was eager to see this wonderful animal.
" If it does what you say, I will load your ship full of treasure. "

When the merchant returned with Puss, the floor was still covered with rats.

When she saw them, the puss jumped down.
In no time at all, most of rats were killed as quick as lightening and the rest ran off in fright. 

Sure enough, the king and queen was so delighted.

The king bought all the ship's cargo and gave the merchant ten times as much for the cat as all the rest together.

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Dick Whittington and his Cat (8)

Dick Whittington and his Cat (8)

When the ship returned to London, the merchant showed Dick a treasure.
He told Dick that the foreign king gave him it for the cat.
" The treasure belongs to you. "



At first, Dick thought he must be making fun of him. 
Dick was overwhelmed with the amount of gold.
He begged him not to play tricks on a poor boy. 

" I am not joking, " said the merchant.
" We sold your puss and we received all amount of gold for value."

" Yes Dick, as I said before, all the money from her sale will go to you. The treasure belongs to you. "

Then the merchant gave him it for his cat. 

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タグ：Dick Whittington and his Cat

Dick Whittington and his Cat (9 完)

Dick Whittington and his Cat (9 完)

Over the years he used his money so wisely, and did so much good for all the people around him and who worked for him.

When Dick grew up he fell in love with Alice, the merchant’s beautiful daughter, and married her.

He was elected Lord Mayor of the City of London three times. 

But he never forgot his kind step-father the merchant, who had been so honest in giving him all the money that the cat had earned.
 
He and his lady lived in great splendor and were very happy ever after as people do in stories.

Sometimes he　remembered the day that the bells of all the churches began to chime.
As they rang, it seemed that they were saying over and over :
" Turn again Dick Whittington," " Lord Mayor of London "

They were right you see.

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