Everybody was delighted that he should be king , and the wedding , which took place at once , was the prettiest that can be imagined , and Prince Charming and Princess Goldilocks lived happily ever after . -LRB- 1 -RRB- -LRB- 1 -RRB- Madame d'Aulnoy . THE HISTORY OF WHITTINGTON Dick Whittington was a very little boy when his father and mother died ; so little , indeed , that he never knew them , nor the place where he was born . He strolled about the country as ragged as a colt , till he met with a wagoner who was going to London , and who gave him leave to walk all the way by the side of his wagon without paying anything for his passage . This pleased little Whittington very much , as he wanted to see London sadly , for he had heard that the streets were paved with gold , and he was willing to get a bushel of it ; but how great was his disappointment , poor boy ! when he saw the streets covered with dirt instead of gold , and found himself in a strange place , without a friend , without food , and without money . Though the wagoner was so charitable as to let him walk up by the side of the wagon for nothing , he took care not to know him when he came to town , and the poor boy was , in a little time , so cold and hungry that he wished himself in a good kitchen and by a warm fire in the country . In his distress he asked charity of several people , and one of them bid him `` Go to work for an idle rogue . '' `` That I will , '' said Whittington , `` with all my heart ; I will work for you if you will let me . '' The man , who thought this savored of wit and impertinence -LRB- though the poor lad intended only to show his readiness to work -RRB- , gave him a blow with a stick which broke his head so that the blood ran down . In this situation , and fainting for want of food , he laid himself down at the door of one Mr. Fitzwarren , a merchant , where the cook saw him , and , being an ill-natured hussy , ordered him to go about his business or she would scald him . At this time Mr. Fitzwarren came from the Exchange , and began also to scold at the poor boy , bidding him to go to work . Whittington answered that he should be glad to work if anybody would employ him , and that he should be able if he could get some victuals to eat , for he had had nothing for three days , and he was a poor country boy , and knew nobody , and nobody would employ him . He then endeavored to get up , but he was so very weak that he fell down again , which excited so much compassion in the merchant that he ordered the servants to take him in and give him some meat and drink , and let him help the cook to do any dirty work that she had to set him about . People are too apt to reproach those who beg with being idle , but give themselves no concern to put them in the way of getting business to do , or considering whether they are able to do it , which is not charity . But we return to Whittington , who could have lived happy in this worthy family had he not been bumped about by the cross cook , who must be always roasting and basting , or when the spit was idle employed her hands upon poor Whittington ! At last Miss Alice , his master 's daughter , was informed of it , and then she took compassion on the poor boy , and made the servants treat him kindly . Besides the crossness of the cook , Whittington had another difficulty to get over before he could be happy . He had , by order of his master , a flock-bed placed for him in a garret , where there was a number of rats and mice that often ran over the poor boy 's nose and disturbed him in his sleep . After some time , however , a gentleman who came to his master 's house gave Whittington a penny for brushing his shoes .
This he put into his pocket , being determined to lay it out to the best advantage ; and the next day , seeing a woman in the street with a cat under her arm , he ran up XXXXX know the price of it .
Besides about after as at by in though till to