st to be introduced, I ought to say something.

"What do you say to a parrot?" I whispered to Miss Atherley.

"Have a banana," suggested Reggie.

"I believe you say, 'Scratch-a-poll,'" said Miss Atherley, "but I don't
know why."

"Isn't that rather dangerous? Suppose it retorted 'Scratch your own,' I
shouldn't know a bit how to go on."

"It can't talk," said Reggie. "It's quite a baby--only seven months old.
But it's no good showing it your watch; you must think of some other way
of amusing it."

"Break it to me, Reggie. Have I been asked down solely to amuse the
parrot, or did any of you others want to see me?"

"Only the parrot," said Reggie.

Evangeline paid no attention to us. She continued to wrestle with the
monkey-nut. I should say that she was a bird not easily amused.

"Can't it really talk at all?" I asked Mrs. Atherley.

"Not yet. You see, she's only just come over from South America, and
isn't used to the climate yet."

"But that's just the person you'd expect to talk a lot about the
weather. I believe you've been had. Write a little note to the
poulterers and ask if you can change it. You've got a bad one by
mistake."

"We got it as a bird," said Mrs. Atherley with dignity, "not as a
gramophone."

The next morning Evangeline was as silent as ever. Miss Atherley and I
surveyed it after breakfast. It was still grappling with a monkey-nut,
but no doubt a different one.

"Isn't it _ever_ going to talk?" I asked. "Really, I thought parrots
were continually chatting."

"Yes, but they have to be taught--just like you teach a baby."

"Are you sure? I quite see that you have to teach them any special
things you want them to say, but I thought they were all born with a few
simple obvious remarks, like 'Poor Polly,' or--or 'Dash Lloyd George.'"

"I don't think so," said Miss Atherley. "Not the green ones."

At dinner that evening, Mr. Atherley being now with us, the question of
Evangeline's education was seriously considered.

"The only proper method," began Mr. Atherley----"By the way," he said,
turning to me, "you don't know anything about parrots, do you?"

"No," I said. "You can go on quite safely."

"The only proper method of teaching a parrot--I got this from a man in
the City this morning--is to give her a word at a time, and to go on
repeating it over and over again until she's got hold of it."

"And after that the parrot goes on repeating it over and over again
until you've got sic