d or the
brook in the meadow.

The maids laughed, and then she saw who it was, and laughed with them,
and danced and courtesied and was very merry till a bell rang and she
was ordered to go to her Highness.

It was a lovely room, all hung with blue silk and lace, with a silver
bed, and chairs and couches of blue damask, pictures on the walls,
flowers in all the windows, and golden cages full of birds. A white cat
slept on its cushion, a tiny dog ran about with a golden collar hung
with bells, and books and toys were heaped on the tables. The Princess
was scolding her nurse because she wanted her to rest longer after the
drive; but when Betty came in looking so pretty and gay, the frown
changed to a smile, and she cried,--

"How nice you look! Not like a Brownie now; but I hope you have not
forgotten about the birds."

"No," said Betty; "let me listen a minute and I'll tell you what they
say."

So both were silent, and the maid and nurse kept as still as mice while
the canary sang his shrill, sweet song, and Betty's face grew sad as she
heard it.

"He says he is tired of his cage and longs to be free among the other
birds; for a tree is a better home than a golden palace, and a crumb in
the wood sweeter than all the sugar in his silver cup. 'Let me go! let
me go! or my heart will break!' That is what he says, and the bulfinch
sings the same song; so do the love birds and the beautiful gay one whom
I don't know."

"What does Polly say? I understand him when he talks, but not when he
scolds and chatters to himself as he is doing now," said the Princess,
looking much surprised at what she heard; for she thought her birds must
be happy in such fine cages.

Betty listened to the great red and green and blue parrot, who sat on a
perch wagging his head and chuckling to himself as if he were enjoying
some good joke. Presently Betty blushed and laughed, and looked both
troubled and amused at what she heard; for the bird was gabbling away
and nodding his head at her in a very funny manner.

"What does he say?" asked the Princess, impatiently.

"Please don't ask. You will not like it. I couldn't tell," said Betty,
still laughing and blushing.

"You _must_ tell, or I'll have Polly's neck wrung. I _will_ know every
word, and I won't be angry with _you_, no matter what that saucy bird
says," commanded the Princess.

"He says this," began Betty, not liking to obey, but afraid poor Polly
would be hurt if she did not: "'