going away. Your Wife's thirty years younger
than you, isn't she?"

"Twenty-five," corrected the other shortly. "You see what I'm afraid of
is, that she'll get too much attention."

"Well, women like that," remarked the Third.

"But I don't, damn it," cried the Chief hotly. "When I think of it I get
hot all over. Boiling hot."

"That won't last," said the other reassuringly, "you won't care twopence
this time next year."

"We're not all alike," growled the Chief, "some of us have got finer
feelings than others have. I saw the chap next door looking at her as we
passed him this morning."

"Lor'," said the Third

"I don't want any of your damned impudence," said the Chief sharply. "He
put his hat on straighter when he passed us. What do you think of that?"

"Can't say," replied the other with commendable gravity, "it might mean
anything."

"If he has any of his nonsense while I'm away I'll break his neck," said
the Chief passionately. "I shall know of it."

The other raised his eyebrows.

"I've asked the landlady to keep her eyes open a bit," said the Chief.
"My wife was brought up in the country and she's very young and simple,
so that it is quite right and proper for her to have a motherly old body
to look after her."

"Told your wife?" queried Rogers.

"No," said the other. "Fact is, I've got an idea about that parrot. I'm
going to tell her it's a magic bird, and will tell me everything she
does while I'm away. Anything the landlady tells me I shall tell her
I got from the parrot. For one thing, I don't want her to go out after
seven of an evening, and she's promised me she won't. If she does I
shall know, and pretend that I know through the parrot. What do you
think of it?"

"Think of it?" said the Third, staring at him. "Think of it? Fancy a man
telling a grown-up woman a yarn like that!"

"She believes in warnings and death-watches, and all that sort of
thing," said the Chief, "so why shouldn't she?"

"Well, you'll know whether she believes in it or not when you come
back," said Rogers, "and it'll be a great pity, because it's a beautiful
talker."

"What do you mean?" said the other.

"I mean it'll get its little neck wrung," said the Third.

"Well, we'll see," said Gannett. "I shall know what to think if it does
die."

"I shall never see that bird again," said Rogers, shaking his head as
the Chief took up the cage and handed it to the steward, who was to
accompany him home with it.

T