Eve edged up to the centre table. "You first," said Arabella.

"No, you."

"You first," insisted Arabella. "I'm afraid. Bill, he's lookin'."

"I ain't afraid," Suzanne asserted boldly, and stretched out her hand.

That was the time when the first heel disappeared. Even as Suzanne's
white teeth closed upon it, the parrot gave a vast screech of
disapproval. "Quork!" cried he. "Look out! Look out!" At which
warning both the twins fled precipitately underneath the bed; whence
presently their heads peered out, with wide and frightened eyes.

"I didn't have my bite," whimpered Arabella.

"It's only Bill!" Suzanne was disgusted with herself for running.
"Come on. Who's afraid?" Arabella chose the toe of the other foot.

Thus it was that temptation, at first insidious, at length
irresistible, had its way. The lustre paled and dimmed on one gaudily
bepainted leg. The remaining heel disappeared. A slight nick became
visible on the cap of the right knee.

"Well, I'll be darned!" said Curly, scratching his head, as he observed
these developments.

"So'll I," remarked Bill, in frank friendship. "Ha! Ha!"

Curly looked at him pugnaciously for a moment. "For one cent, Bill,"
said he, "I'd wring your cussed green neck for you. I'll bet a hundred
you're the feller that's been a-doin' all this devilment. Here
you,--Susy--Airey,--have you seen Bill a-eatin' the ornyment?" Both
the young ladies solemnly and truthfully declared that they had never
noticed any such thing; and pointed out that parrots, in their belief,
did not eat candy.

The next day amputation and subtraction had proceeded yet further.
Only Bill was present when Arabella broke out into tears.

"What's the matter?" asked stout-hearted Suzanne.

"Why, we--we--we--can't eat it but _once_," mourned Arabella.
"Now--now--now it's most _gone_! OO--oo--oo!"

"It's good," said Suzanne.

"Will we go to the bad place?" asked Arabella.

Suzanne evaded this question. "How can we _help_ it, when it looks so
pretty, and tastes so good? They ought to put 'em in a _box_. I
c-c-can't help it!" And now tears broke from her eyes also. They
leaned their heads upon each other's shoulders and wept. But even as
they did so, the hand of either, upon the side nearest to the table,
reached out toward the disfigured remnant. A week later the last bite
was taken. The parlor table was bare and vacant. Heart's Desire, in
all its length and breadth, contai