THE PARROTS. 
145 
Her laugh is quite extraordinary, and it is impossi- 
ble to help joining in it oneself, more especially when 
in the midst of it she cries out, 1 Do n’t make me 
laugh so. I shall die, I shall die ; ’• and then con- 
tinues laughing more violently than before. Her 
crying and sobbing are curious ; and if you say, 
e Poor Poll ! what is the matter ? ’ she says, ‘ So bad ! 
so bad ! got a bad cold ! 9 and after crying for some 
time will gradually cease, and making a noise like 
drawing a long breath, say, ‘ Better now ! ’ and begin 
to laugh. 
u The first time I ever heard her speak, was one 
day when I was talking to the maid at the bottom 
of the stairs, and heard what I then considered to 
be a child call out, ( Payne ! (the maid’s name) I am 
not well ! I’m not well ! ’ and on my saying, ‘ What 
is the matter with that child ? ’ she replied, ‘ It is 
only the Parrot; she always does so when I leave 
her alone, to make me come back;’ and so it proved ; 
for on her going into the room the Parrot stopped, 
and then began laughing, quite in a jeering way. 
a It is singular enough, that whenever she is affronted 
in any way, she begins to cry, and when pleased, to 
laugh. If any one happens to cough or sneeze, she 
says, 1 What a bad cold ! ’ One day when the chil- 
dren were playing with her, the maid came into the 
room, and on repeating to her several things which 
the Parrot had said, Poll looked up, and said quite 
plainly, 1 No I did n’t.’ Sometimes, when she is in- 
clined to be mischievous, the maid threatens to beat 
her, and she says, ^No you won’t.’ She calls the 
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