Peterkin

g seems. But the worst of it is that they are so soon gone again, and then you wish you

ver for me, you see. I think 'nice' is a girl's word, but Clem says you shouldn't write slang in a book,

n't turned into a frog, or anything of the kind. She was standing out on the little balcony, watching for us, with a snowy-white, fluffy shawl on the top of h

or was opened, we heard

e both been watching for you, and he is

and he walked forward soberly to shake hands with his old lady and give her mamma's love and all that sort of thing, which he was

said, 'Polly does

S TWO WITH HIS UGLY ROUND BEADY E

fore-it did seem wonderful for a bird, only a bird, to talk so sensibly, and I felt as if there might be something i

r did the creature catch sight of us two with his ugly, round, painted-bead-looking eyes-I don't like parr

for her, she seeme

the drawing-room all dressed up, and it won't go to anybody, or say 'Dada,' or 'Mam-ma,' or

m all to ourselves, and it would be so amusing. But'-just then a bright idea struck her-'supposing you two go back into the room, so that he can't see you, and I will say "Good-bye, my dear

eally quite funny how his talking got the Polly treated as if he was a human being. We

our mamma, and the next time you come I

arrot. Peterkin and I peeped out at him from behind the curtain, and we could scarcely help laughing out loud. He looked

ylie steppe

Why couldn't you be kind and friendly

he said, in a

pretty Poll at all. Ug

ds had reminded him of the little girl, for his tone suddenly changed, and he began again: 'I'm so tired, Nana. No, I won't be good;

are not tired or cold, Polly, an

eeping out again, we saw that he

ekly-I am not sure w

ood! Polly

nodded ap

posing we have a little music,' and she began to sing in a ver

s, and though we were so interested in the parrot and in hearing him, I wished he would be quiet again, and let Mrs. Wylie go on with her soft, sad little song. But of course he didn't. He started, too, a queer sort of whistle, n

r voice. It was the maid next door, who

cold, and it would never do for him to get a sore throat just as he's learning to sing

e a little lau

of never come, after all?' the maid asked, as

e here still. But Polly was very na

om next door,' said the girl, 'and I

be good,' here

oth st

rd!' exclai

m next door?' said Mrs.

nlikely. The child is getting better, I believe, an

mysteriously, 'and I hope,' she went on, but we could not catch her

and I understood. There w

the glass door. She was smiling n

id. 'He is a funny bird. By degrees I hope

eel very su

s enough for that. It isn't like you, Mrs. Wy

him,' and she smiled very kindly at Pete. 'Before that, I had not noticed him very much; at least, I had not made friends with him. But he has a wonderful memory; really wonde

her at all. We felt that she had some reason for it, and of course, though we could not have helped hearing what she and the parrot's maid had said to each other, we had to try to think we hadn't heard it. Clement says that's wh

uite ready. I thought it would be more comfortab

ld-fashioned,' I suppose. It reminded me of a doll-house belonging to one of our grandmothers-mamma's mother, who had kept it ever since she was a little girl, and when we go to stay with her in t

gh we went to Mrs. Wylie's often after that, because it was the first time. The cups were rather small, but it didn't matter,

pressed and dried seaweed, and stuffed birds in cases. I don't care for stuffed birds: they look too alive, and it seems horrid for them not to be able to fly about and sing. Peterkin took a great fancy to some of the very tiny ones-humming-birds, scarcely bigger than butterflies

girl. I asked the old lady if she wouldn't like to have a parrot of her own. I thought it would be so amusing. But she sai

there were any children next

d as I am, all the same, but she lives quite alone; and on the other s

the only little girl or boy

eak about her; but I got quite hot when I heard him, and if we had been on the same side of the ta

, there was something in her manner when she ans

the terrace, except some very tiny ones, almost babies, at the othe

e lighted upstairs in the drawing-room, where Mrs. Wylie showed us s

ugh, and, I daresay, it was a good deal that the great reason we liked to go to Mrs. Wylie's was because of the parrot and the mysterious little girl. At least, P

s to be home by-it wasn't that she wanted to get rid of us, but she was very afraid of

ng to fetch you?

e old enough to look after Pete, and the fun of going home by ourselves thr

me afterwards about not being polite, so I did

in will be all

'thank you very much for inviti

e again soo

ness were rather or

lie was qui

end of this next week for a fortnight. Will you tell your dear mamma so, and say that I shall come to see her on my return, and then we m

uld, that I'd like to come again, only I hoped we didn't bother her. She beamed all over at that, and Peterkin evident

s, and were outside and the door shut, but before I had got farther than-'I

and us hearing nothing of the little girl. I r

yourself too. If there's a mystery, and you know you'd be very disappointed if there wasn't, you couldn

ible sometimes, or p'raps she's like the "Light Princess," tha

for, as I said, I was getting rather tired of

ght our ears. Peterkin touched my arm, and we stood quite still. No one could see us, it was too dark, and there was no lamp just there, though some

so queer, that we didn't, at first, think of anything else. It wasn't for some minutes, or moments, certainly, that it came into my head that we shouldn't stay there peeping

heard

re tea. I'd better go to

m some one further back in the room, b

e shadow of some one crossing the room, and the window-it was a glass-door kind of window like the ones up above, which opened on to the balcony, for there w

at me, though it was too dark to see, and there was

I said, and

n at last. 'She said she want

to tea. But it's no good our bothering about it,' and I walked a little faster, and began to whistle. I did n

ancy than to get it out again, as I might have known by exper

I had to slacken a bit,-'and do let me talk to you. When we get home I shan't have a chance-not till to-morrow morni

be awakened before dawn the next morning to listen to all he'd got t

want to talk

ething. It's no good asking Mrs. Wylie. We'll have to do something ourselves. I'm afraid the people she's with lock her up, or something

hing to do is to lock h

eterkin's way of

some of them are very, very old-nearly as old as Bible stories, I believe; so they must be

ment, you me

t to do, Gilley. At least, I'm sure I've got to, and you must help me. You see, it's all been so funny. The parrot knows, I s

nterrupted, half joking, but rather inter

not, and I'm sure Mrs. Wylie has

talk about the little girl, or

eemed

stupid, common reason for not wanting us to play with the little girl, or p'raps'-and this was plainly a brilliant idea-'p'raps th

own door by now, and it was already opened, as som