return it seventy-fold."

All the servants appeared but poor Whittington, who, having neither
money nor goods, could not think of sending anything to try his luck;
but his good friend Miss Alice, thinking his poverty kept him away,
ordered him to be called.

She then offered to lay down something for him, but the merchant told
his daughter that would not do, it must be something of his own. Upon
which poor Whittington said he had nothing but a cat which he bought for
a penny that was given him. "Fetch thy cat, boy," said the merchant,
"and send her." Whittington brought poor puss and delivered her to the
captain, with tears in his eyes, for he said he should now be disturbed
by the rats and mice as much as ever. All the company laughed at the
adventure but Miss Alice, who pitied the poor boy, and gave him
something to buy another cat.

While puss was beating the billows at sea, poor Whittington was severely
beaten at home by his tyrannical mistress the cook, who used him so
cruelly, and made such game of him for sending his cat to sea, that at
last the poor boy determined to run away from his place, and, having
packed up the few things he had, he set out very early in the morning on
All-Hallows day. He travelled as far as Holloway, and there sat down on
a stone to consider what course he should take; but while he was thus
ruminating, Bow bells, of which there were only six, began to ring; and
he thought their sounds addressed him in this manner:

"Turn again, Whittington,
Lord Mayor of great London."