you
know--that mamma will pack up our trunks, and let us go eleventeen times
farther than this. How perfectly delightful! to go in every direction at
once, and rush all round the world like the _comic_ papa told me of the
other day;" and Sallie became so excited with this brilliant prospect
that she jumped up and down, and gave a little scream of joy.

"What's all that noise?" said a queer, discordant voice at the farther
end of the saloon.

The children started, and looked back a little frightened; their
charming castles in the air put to flight, "like the baseless fabric of
a vision," by the rough question which they thought had been aimed at
them.

"Walk in, ladies! take a seat! What will you have? Shut up! G-o-o-d
morning!"

The words sounded as if they had been rubbed through a nutmeg grater.

"Take a piece of pie? don't forget to pay for it! Shut up! Call again!
I'm all right! Hurra!" And the parrot--for it _was_ a large and handsome
parrot--hopped upon a chair, from the floor where he had been strutting
about, and looked at the company with eyes as sharp as a carving-knife.

Fanny and Sallie, by this time, had found out that it was a bird that
was talking to them, and not cross old Mr. Grumpy, as they had at first
supposed, who, always being in an ill humor himself, never could bear to
see any one looking happy. They walked up to where the bird was, and
stood there lost in admiration at his accomplishments; and really he was
a very wonderful bird, and sometimes talked as if he understood what he
was saying, which, between you and me, is what some birds, boobies for
instance, cannot do.

While they were standing there as still as could be expected, for they
had to give a little skip now and then, under such remarkable
circumstances, a nurse came up with a very beautiful baby in her arms,
and two young gentlemen also drew near to listen to the parrot. As soon
as Poll saw the baby, he yelled out: "Sweet little baby! sweet little
baby! G-o-o-d morning, little baby! Is it a girl?"

The nurse, who was a very silly-looking goose of a girl, turned very red
at this question, and, dropping a courtesy to Poll, simpered out: "No,
sir; if yez plaze, sir, it's a boy, sir!" A roar of laughter from all
around followed this answer, and the poor girl looked as if she thought
the parrot was a police officer, in a bright-green great coat, who meant
to put her instantly to death for daring to answer him. She concluded
she h