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well,” I said, “to have your cage made more secure.” He said

something under his breath about “silly idiots” coming in

taking up people’s time ; and audibly, that if I would let him

know when next I proposed to honour his shop with a visit, he

would try to devote a whole day to me.


“I will take these two,” I said, rather haughtily, as if I

was conferring a high favour. He seemed to take it quite as a

matter of course. “All right,” he said, “what next.” “Any

Troupials, Sugar birds ? ” “ Now, I can do you fifty Sugar birds


reasonable ; £3 each, taking the lot. I bought all that came.”

I said : “ Oh ! indeed ! ” as if fifty Sugar birds, more or less, was

nothing to me. “ Would you halve them ?” The man lightened

considerably. Yes ; he would to oblige me. I said I would

sleep on it.


Then I decided to be open with him. I told him how I

knew literally nothing about birds. He positively beamed on me.

We went into all sorts of abstruse subjects, foods, mealworms,

cages, sex of Parrots, till my head fairly reeled. I came in to

buy a humble Firefinch. Now I was in, it was quite wonderful

how many things I wanted. “ Do you know what this is?” he

said, taking me by the lappet of my coat. I confessed 1113^ crass

ignorance. “ That is a Poe bird from New Zealand.” “ Is it very

expensive?” I faltered. “Oh, not very ; you shall have it for

£/\ ios., though it is worth more.” I thanked him with tears,

but said my purse would not run to it.


We parted excellent friends ; before I left the shop he was

almost affectionate. For my part I paid a few judicious com¬

pliments about the immensity of his knowledge and the ignorance

of all other dealers. This seemed to please him mightily ; and

when I last saw him, he was still beaming upon me.


When I got home I opened the cage and showed my

purchases. Somehow they did not look quite so fresh and gay

as in the shop. My family were not encouraging. They said

they never knew anyone so easily taken in. “What did I want

more birds for?” What could I say? I went out and slammed

the door.



