10. By the time that Dick was the father of some dear little children, his faithful old puss was very very old and weak. Alice was now his wife.
11. Pussy spent all her time by the warm fire, and she had all she wanted. No one was ever unkind to her, and though she was not able to catch mice any more, she was treated with great honour.
12. One day, as Dick, now a fine rich man in good clothes and in a grand house, was sitting in his arm-chair, his old puss dragged herself slowly up to his feet.
13. She begged to get on his lap once more. Dick, who knew well what she meant, though she could not speak, stooped and lifted her up.
14. Pussy purred, as she lifted her dim eyes to his face, gave one sigh, and lay quite still. She was dead, and Dick buried her himself, under a laurel tree in his garden.
15. "If it had not been for her I might have died in the streets myself," said he. "It was puss who made my fortune, and I am certain of this one thing: those who show mercy and love, will have the same shown to them."
Write: Dick sold his kittens for gold. But he let the mother-cat keep one. At last his cat died of old age. Dick was kind to her to the end of her life.
Questions: 1. What did the Queen want the kittens to do? 2. What did Dick find out about money as he grew older? 3. To whom did he show the greatest care? 4. What about the cross cook? 5. What did the old cat do one day? 6. What did Dick say that he was quite certain of?