Peterkin

. And when I began to awake, and gradually remembered all that had happened t

knew what it was. There was Pete-bolt upright-as wide awake as if he had never been asleep, staring at me with all his might, his eyes as round and blue as could be. You know the

so glad yo

ry grumpily. 'I'd like to know who could g

seem at all surprised at my saying he had wakened me. He used to understand rath

talking,' I said, closing my ey

quite rea

o be late for tea, so she stopped at the end of that big s

ith Place,'

run home. It's quite straight, if

aight home, didn't y

and I remembered that it led to the funny little houses where Clem and I had seen the parrot. So, almost with

there to see you,

'd scarcely got to the little houses when I heard the parrot. His cage was out on the balcony, you know. And it is very quiet there-scarc

answer, so

ing-"Getting cold. Polly wants to go to bed. Quick, quick." And then he'd stop for a minute, as if he was listening and heard something I couldn't. That was the strange part that ma

he say?'

terkin replied. 'Over and over again the same-"I

heard,' I said, 'but

thing about "I won't be locked up," and "I'll write a letter," and then again and aga

,' I

king his own talking, do you see?-like "Pretty Poll is cold, wants to go to bed"-from when he was copyi

for my opinion about it all. I was really very interested, but I want

y queer?' he

think about

lower voice, though there was no possibi

tower, by some bad fairy, and there might be a good one who wanted to help her to get out. I wonder if they ever do invite fairies to christenings now, and forge

ries to invite, as I've often told you, Pete. At least,' for, in spite of my love of teasing, I never liked to see the look of distress that came over hi

t again,' said Peter

point him by saying I coul

her idea

d her what you had heard, didn't you? Yes, of course, she heard some o

much plainer than you heard, Gilley, for when you were there you only heard him from down below, a

bout that,' I

, next door to the parrot's, you know, and then she looked at me again, and spoke over the railings. She said, "Are you talking to the parrot, my dear?" and I said, "No, I'm only listening to him, thank you"; and then she l

shell,' I

thank you." And then she said, "Won't you come in for a few minutes? You can see the Polly from my balcony, and it is getting cold for standing about. Are you on your way home from school?" S

upted. 'We've had it often enough,

y more. He knows when people are strangers. The cage was close to the old lady's end of the balcony, so that I could almost have touched it, and then I heard him say all those queer things. I didn't speak for a good while, for fear of stopping him talking. But after a bit he got fidgety; I daresay he knew

aid. 'What happ

t house-not in his own house-who cried sometimes and seemed very cross and unhappy, so that Mrs. Wylie often is very sorry for her, though she has never really seen her. And I said, did she think anybody was unkind to the little girl, and she said she hoped not, but she didn't know. And then she

pying the little girl again,

do. Yes,' he went on thoughtfully, 'I think he must, for the old lady has never heard ex

silly of Mrs. Wylie to let you hear the parrot copying her. It's a very bad exam

said she was going to come to see mamma some day very soon, to ask her to let me go to have tea with

will come when I'm here. It is very funny about the crying little gi

shook h

since Mrs. Wylie came back fro

es very stupid, in spite of his quickness and fancies. 'It's been l

in, in his whispering voice again, 'if he'

came in to wake us, or rather to make us get up, as we were nearly always awake already, a

e. We did not exactly forget about it; indeed, it was what we talked about every morning w

he evening of all the fuss, when, the very moment I had rung the fro

in the drawing-room with mamma, and mamma told me to fetch

of the days he stays l

d not seem

e said. 'Clement is too big, but she might hav

eing polite, but I don't thin

em down; 'bother your politeness. Can't you tell me what you're talking about? Who i

orgotten. It's the old lady next door to the parrot's house, of course

n, to see the parrot, and perhaps hear more of the myster

I said, 'and I daresay mamma won't want me wit

must come. And she said she hoped "they" wouldn't be long. So y

ants if he's really in earnest. So I had to give in, and he went puffing upstairs, with me a

came in, and I saw tha

asked, and it made me wish I h

his late days, you know. And Peter

ke ladies'. But Mrs. Wylie was so awfully neat-she might have been a fairy herself, or a doll dressed to look like an old lady.

the day now, dear Mrs. Lesley? Saturday next we were talking of. Will you come about four o'clock, or even earlier, my dears? The parrot stays out till five, generally, and indeed his mistress is very good-natured, and so is her maid. They were quite plea

shed it for her in our own minds. We glanced at each other, and the same though

aid mamma. 'Giles and Peterkin will be delight

l be very jolly,' so heartily, that the o

She had a very nice, rather stately way about her, though she was so small and thin, and i

about the little girl to mamma, though mamma said nothing at all to us, except that we must behave very nicely and carefully

d Peterkin said to me that he didn't

yish,' he said,

arrot and the invisible little girl that I was almost ready to join him in making up fanciful stories-that there was an ogre who wo

r,' said Peterkin, 'and she

out fairies and began making up, myself, he would get

n into a frog half the day?' I said.

ping down from Mrs. Wylie's drawing-room sofa, and saying, '

didn't come to a

s said she didn't care to go anywhere without Clement. But Elf made us promise that s

t had forgotten what he had heard that evening. He was very busy just then working extra for some p