s. Gannett.

The parrot, hopping to the farthest corner of the bottom of his cage,
said something feebly. Finding that nothing dreadful happened, he
repeated his remark somewhat more boldly, and, being convinced after
all that the apparition was quite harmless and that he had displayed his
craven spirit for nothing, hopped back on his perch and raved wickedly.

"If that was my bird," said Mrs. Cluffins, almost as scarlet as her
parasol, "I should wring its neck."

"No, you wouldn't," said Mrs. Gannett solemnly. And having quieted the
bird by throwing a cloth over its cage, she explained its properties.

"What!" said Mrs. Cluffins, unable to sit still in her chair. "You mean
to tell me your husband said that!"

Mrs. Gannett nodded.

"He's awfully jealous of me," she said with a slight simper.

"I wish he was my husband," said Mrs. Cluffins in a thin, hard voice.
"I wish C. would talk to _me_ like that I wish somebody would try and
persuade C. to talk to me like that."

"It shows he's fond of me," said Mrs. Gannett, looking down.

Mrs. Cluffins jumped up, and snatching the cover off the cage,
endeavoured, but in vain, to get the parasol through the bars.

"And you believe that rubbish!" she said scathingly. "Boo, you wretch!"

"I don't believe it," said her friend, taking her gently away and
covering the cage hastily just as the bird was recovering, "but I let
him think I do."

"I call it an outrage," said Mrs. Cluffins, waving the parasol wildly.
"I never heard of such a thing; I'd like to give Mr. Gannett a piece
of my mind. Just about half an hour of it. He wouldn't be the same man
afterwards--I'd parrot him."

Mrs. Gannett, soothing her agitated friend as well as she was able, led
her gently to a chair and removed her bonnet, and finding that complete
recovery was impossible while the parrot remained in the room, took that
wonder-working bird outside.

By the time they had reached the docks and boarded the _Curlew_ Mrs.
Cluffins had quite recovered her spirits. She roamed about the steamer
asking questions, which savoured more of idle curiosity than a genuine
thirst for knowledge, and was at no pains to conceal her opinion of
those who were unable to furnish her with satisfactory replies.

"I shall think of you every day, Jem," said Mrs. Gannett tenderly.

"I shall think of you every minute," said the engineer reproachfully.

He sighed gently and gazed in a scandalised fashion at Mrs. Cluffins,
who