wooden tray full of pieces of meat stuck on skewers crying,
"Meat! M-E-A-T!" People paid him to give this meat to their cats
and dogs instead of feeding them on dog-biscuits or the scraps
from the table.

I enjoyed going round with old Matthew and seeing the cats and
dogs come running to the garden-gates whenever they heard his
call. Sometimes he let me give the meat to the animals myself;
and I thought this was great fun. He knew a lot about dogs and
he would tell me the names of the different kinds as we went
through the town. He had several dogs of his own; one, a whippet,
was a very fast runner, and Matthew used to win prizes with her
at the Saturday coursing races; another, a terrier, was a fine
ratter. The cat's-meat-man used to make a business of
rat-catching for the millers and farmers as well as his other
trade of selling cat's-meat.

My third great friend was Luke the Hermit. But of him I will
tell you more later on.

I did not go to school; because my father was not rich enough to
send me. But I was extremely fond of animals. So I used to spend
my time collecting birds' eggs and butterflies, fishing in the
river, rambling through the countryside after blackberries and
mushrooms and helping the mussel-man mend his nets.

Yes, it was a very pleasant life I lived in those days long ago--
though of course I did not think so then. I was nine and a half
years old; and, like all boys, I wanted to grow up--not knowing
how well off I was with no cares and nothing to worry me. Always