Small, with an elfin face surrounded by clouds of almost black fine hair, the tiny girl sat on the thick old stone doorstep.
In her hand she clutched a large copper penny given to her by her grandfather, whose house it was.
She regarded it with the image of a seated lady who had a strange hat on her head and a flag in her hand.
Grandfather had told her this was Britannia.
The child wondered if it ws Princess Britannia because she looked far too important not to be a princess or even a queen.
The sun was hot and she felt her hand perspiring and the strange smell from the coin as it lay in her hand.
She shifted her sandalled feet and noticed how dirty her white ankle socks were. Her mother wouldn't be too happy with her.
Just then a large black and white cat appeared and curled itself around her legs; she stroked it absently..hot and drowsy in the sun.
Then she heard a voice way up the street.
"Catsmeat!" it called. "Penny a stick! Cats meat!"
She stood up and looked up the street.
Coming along the pavement was a small wizened old man with a wooden tray in front of him and a large leather strap passing around his neck. He held it steady and walked haltingly aong calling out "Catsmeat! Penny a stick!"
One leg dragged a little and her grandfather said it was he was an old soldier who had been wounded in the war.
Behind him came a procession of cats..all sizes and colours ..with their tails in the air and very vocal.
She walked forward to the pavement and the Catsmeat man stopped.
!Hello my little dear " he greeted her with a smile.
"Has Grandfather sent you to buy the cat some meat?"
She smiled and dumbly handed over the hot copper penny.
In return the man chose a skewer from his tray with three thick slices of cooked meat.
He handed it to her with anther smile and said"There you are..take it into Grandfather and dont drop it or this lot"(indicating his followers) " will snaffle it in no time!"
She took the skewer and pushed open the heavy front door and went inside followed closely by the black and white cat that belonged to her grandfather.
She could smell the cooked meat.It was permeating the air with an appetising and the cat almost tripped her over.
Her grandfather heard the door and appeared from the end of the passage,taking the skewer from her hand.
He and the cat vanished into the rather gloomy hall and she followed.
She went into the scullery and watched as the meat was cut into small pieces with grandfather's specially sharp knife which she knew never to go near.
There was a saucer gleaming on the table ready for the meat.
Grandfather placed it on the floor and the cat applied himself to it with great enthusiasm.
She heard the saucer rattling on the stone floor as the cat pursued it round the room, anxious not to miss any pieces of his weekly treat.
She sat on the rag rug and watched him until the saucer was empty.
Then she watched the cat wash himself.
For many years afterwards she was always reminded of those Fridays whenever she saw a cat wash itself.
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