plead innocence.
You think, that, as soon as those eggs are hatched, you'll have a good
feast on the little birds."

"Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow!"

"Oh, you needn't deny it. Now, old cat, take my advice, and, if you
don't want to come to grief, shun temptation in season. If I find you
harming those birds, do you know what will happen?"

"Mee-ow, mee-ow, mee-ow!"

"Oh, you don't, eh? Well, I'll leave it to you to guess what will
happen. I'll only say this: there will be a noise at the river-side one
of these fine mornings, and a certain cat may get a ducking."

"Mee-ow, mee-ow! Fitt! Fitt!"

"You object to that, do you? Then, pussy, don't let me find you meddling
with the little birds or watching their nests."

FRANK.

[Illustration]

"PROUD AS A PEACOCK."

A DIALOGUE.

_Laura._--Why is it, Rachel, that you wear that old winter dress to
church, this fine spring morning? Look at me.

_Rachel._--What a pretty silk! And what a becoming hat and plume!

_Laura._--I gave my mother no peace till she got them for me. Why don't
you make your father buy you a new spring dress, Rachel?

_Rachel._--He would have given me such a dress, if I had not told him I
should like something else better.

_Laura._--Indeed! Pray, what else would you like better than a beautiful
spring dress?

_Rachel._--I knew that if my father gave me a silk dress this spring, he
could not afford to let me take music-lessons: so I told him I would
rather study music than have a new dress.

_Laura._--What a silly girl, to prefer music-lessons to a nice new
dress!

_Rachel._--Hark! What is that harsh noise?

_Laura._--It is the cry of that foolish peacock from the balcony of the
garden yonder. He wants us to admire him.

_Rachel._--How he struts about, and arches his neck, and shows his fine
feathers, bright with all the colors of the rainbow!

_Laura._--I would not change my canary-bird for him.

_Rachel._--And I would not change my music for your new silk dress,
Laura.

_Laura._--Why do you say that? But, first, who is that man standing
there by the garden-gate?

_Rachel._--That is Mr. Blunt, the clergyman who is to preach for us
to-day.

_Laura._--He looks at me, and now he looks at the peacock, and now at me
again, and now, with a smile, at the peacock, and now--O Rachel! this is
too bad. I know what he is thinking of.

_Rachel._--Let us hurry on to church. The bell has begun to toll.

_Laura._--Ah, Rachel, he says to