ve this nice piece of sugar if you will say 'Pretty Mary.' I had
tried hard for ever so long to say it, but somehow my tongue would not
twist out the exact words. But I was not pleased with Miss Mary for
asking me to say it for a bribe; she ought to have known me better, I
thought, and I sat quite silent, determined not even to say 'Pretty
Polly.'

"'Oh now, Polly, that is naughty!' she said, seeing my sulky looks.
'Well, you shall have it if you take it out of my mouth.'

"Of course I could not object to that," said Polly with a laugh; "So I
stepped on to her finger as desired, and took the bit of sugar from her
pretty red lips, and put it into my tin dish. Then, to show her I was
grateful for her kindness, I cried out, 'Mary! pretty Mary!' and she was
so pleased, she wanted me to have another piece of sugar as a reward;
but I would not have it. No; I made my little speeches for love, and not
for sugar.

"When I was sitting quietly thinking of things in general, and my
mistress in particular, Master Dick, who had been sitting at the window
all the time, and saw what his aunt had given me, and where I had put
it, came stealthily across the lawn; and putting up his hand took hold
of my piece of sugar.

[Illustration: PRETTY MARY.

_Page 88._]

"Now, I had determined in my own mind I would punish him the very first
opportunity; so I flew upon him in a moment; and catching hold of the
sleeve of his coat, held it fast with my claws. He tried to shake me
off, but I flew on to his head before he could get away; and I do not
know who screamed the loudest. Aunt Mary and one or two of the servants
came running out; but though they tried to get me on to my perch, I kept
calling, 'Who stole the sugar? Oh fie! greedy Dick!'

"The boy had been so frightened that he forgot to drop the sugar; and on
his aunt opening his hand, there it was, safe enough. She had seen him
from her room window take it out of my dish; and when I at last allowed
her to lift me on to my perch, she gave Master Dick such a beating that
he did not steal my sugar any more.--But, Master Herbert, there is
something the matter with the cockatoo," said Polly; "I hear him saying
some angry words to somebody in the garden."

On looking out of the window, Herbert saw his cousin Grace standing with
a young visitor before the cockatoo's perch. Jane, the visitor, was
calling him "Ugly Cocky! bad Cocky! ugly Cockatoo!" and telling him that
all the nice things wou