Dick and His Cat, and Other Tales

In Short

This late Victorian reader gathers simple moral fables designed to teach young children compassion toward animals. Across five distinct tales—including a retelling of Dick Whittington, a traveller rescued on a snowy moor by a dog he pitied, a frozen donkey saved by a little girl, an observant house-fly, and a misplaced hen raising ducklings—the narrative repeatedly demonstrates that gentleness to dumb beasts brings its own reward. The book's clear, rhythmic language and earnest moral focus have preserved its charm for readers interested in historic children's literature.

The Story

The collection opens with the familiar tale of poor, orphaned Dick Whittington, left to wander a small country village until a kindly carter allows him to walk alongside his wagon to London. Put to work in a rich merchant’s kitchen, Dick suffers under a violent, ill-tempered cook who beats him with a broom. His only comfort is a cat he rescues and hides in his bare garret. When the merchant permits his servants to send items on a trading voyage, Dick offers his only possession: his beloved cat. The ship reaches a distant land overrun with rats and mice. Dick’s cat clears the royal table of pests, prompting the delighted king to purchase the animal and her new litter of kittens for a fortune, securing Dick's future.

Subsequent tales reinforce the duties of mercy and empathy. In "Trusty," a traveller leaving a warm inn pities a half-starved, beaten dog and asks the landlord to feed it. Though the landlord refuses, the dog follows the traveller onto a dangerous, snow-swept moor. When a blinding blizzard disorients the man, the dog leads him safely around a frozen pit and guides him toward home, saving his life. In "Out in the Cold," young Mercy sneaks out on a bitter winter night to lead an abandoned, shivering donkey into a clean, warm shed, feeding it carrots and fresh straw.

"The Story of a Fly" shifts to a tiny perspective, following a house-fly through a domestic home. Saved from a puddle by a thoughtful girl named Rose, the fly repays the household when the grandmother falls asleep near a candle; by tickling the grandfather's bald head, the fly wakes him just in time to extinguish his wife's burning cap. Finally, "Betty and Snowdrop" follows a pampered Dorking hen who loses her white plumage and a toe at a poultry show. Sent to a farm, Betty hatches a clutch of duckling eggs and tries in vain to raise them as proper land-bound chicks, ultimately learning that each creature possesses its own natural instincts.

How It Unfolds

A homeless lad finds a friend Dick Whittington leaves his poor village for London and takes shelter in a merchant’s garret with a stray cat. Despite the cook’s cruelty, Dick protects his pet until she is sent aboard a merchant vessel.

The voyage yields a fortune Arriving in a far-off kingdom infested with rodents, the cat clears the king’s banquet table in seconds. The monarch buys the cat and her five newborn kittens for a vast sum.

Mercy returned on the moor A traveller offers to pay for a starving dog's meal at an inn, but the landlord chases the beast away. When the traveller loses his path in a sudden moorland blizzard, the same dog appears and guides him home.

A winter sanctuary On a freezing night, little Mercy notices an abandoned donkey standing numb in the snow. She coaxes the animal into an old, dry shed, rubs him down with straw, and feeds him carrots and clean water.

A fly saves the day After being rescued from a rain pool by little Rose, a house-fly observes the family's daily life. When the grandmother’s cap catches fire from a candle, the fly tickles the grandfather awake to avert a tragedy.

A hen learns nature's ways Betty the hen, recovering from a failed appearance at a bird show, hatches a brood of ducklings on a farm. She tries to keep them away from the pond, only to watch in amazement as they swim naturally.

The People

• Dick Whittington, an impoverished orphan boy who relies on the kindness of strangers. He seeks only food and shelter, struggles under the cook's harsh beatings, and ends up wealthy after sacrificing his only companion.
• The Cross Cook, a kitchen servant who takes out her frustration on Dick and his cat. She constantly scolds, hits Dick with a broom, and tries to drive his pet away, though her home remains overrun by clever mice.
• The Moorland Traveller, a devoted father hastening home across a dangerous landscape for his daughter's birthday. His instinct to pity a starving dog at an inn door saves him from freezing to death in the snow.
• Trusty, a beaten, hungry stray dog who longs for affection. Driven away from the inn, he follows the kindly traveller across the storm-swept moor and repays a single gentle word by guiding his savior past hidden hazards.
• Mercy, a soft-hearted farm girl who listens closely to scriptural lessons on kindness. She cannot bear to see a beast suffer, braving deep snow to shelter and feed a freezing donkey.
• Betty, a vain young Dorking hen whose pampered life ends after she is injured at a poultry show. Given to a farm, she attempts to discipline her foster ducklings, eventually realizing that nature guides them better than her rules.

In Its Own Voice

"If he is kind to the horses," said Dick to himself, "perhaps he will be kind to a poor lad like me."

Dick watches a carter speak gently to his team, finding hope that human mercy extends to homeless children as well as working animals.

"Do not send me away, let me come with you. You are the only person who has shown me mercy."

The neglected dog silent implores the lost traveller on the moor, offering loyal companionship in exchange for a gentle touch on the head.

"Do not forget that there is room in this big wide world for a poor little fly as well as for boys and girls."

The house-fly offers a parting plea to its human hosts, asking only to live out its brief life and perform its minor work in peace.

What It's Really About

Underneath its charming animal fables, the book serves as an explicit moral primer on the duty of human guardianship over weaker creatures. Published for the Humanitarian League, the collection argues that empathy is a single, undivided virtue; a child who learns to pity a starving dog, shelter a shivering donkey, or spare a wet butterfly naturally grows into a compassionate adult. The stories continuously connect human vulnerability with animal suffering, demonstrating how small acts of consideration return unexpectedly to protect the giver.

Why Read It Today

This volume appeals to lovers of classic vintage children's literature, animal tales, and late 19th-century educational history. Reading it offers a nostalgic window into Victorian instructional prose, where simple narrative arcs were crafted to shape a child's moral character. Its prose is clean, accessible, and structured with short, rhythmic sentences ideal for reading aloud to young children.

Readers should note the book's explicit instructional tone and period context. Originally compiled following educational mandates for humane animal treatment in 1890s British schools, the stories place moral lessons directly at the forefront. The language features simple syllabified vocabulary lists and direct moral summaries at the end of sections. Yet, despite its straightforward educational purpose, the book's sincere warmth, gentle humor, and affection for animals make it a quiet, comforting read that retains its gentle heart.