right away, even now.

"Oh, she seemed all right when she arrived," said Polynesia--"tired
from her long journey of course but otherwise all right. But what DO you
think? That mischief-making sparrow, Cheapside, insulted her as soon as
she came into the garden. When I arrived on the scene she was in
tears and was all for turning round and going straight back to Brazil
to-night. I had the hardest work persuading her to wait till you came.
She's in the study. I shut Cheapside in one of your book-cases and told
him I'd tell you exactly what had happened the moment you got home."

The Doctor frowned, then walked silently and quickly to the study.

Here we found the candles lit; for the daylight was nearly gone. Dab-Dab
was standing on the floor mounting guard over one of the glass-fronted
book-cases in which Cheapside had been imprisoned. The noisy little
sparrow was still fluttering angrily behind the glass when we came in.

In the centre of the big table, perched on the ink-stand, stood the most
beautiful bird I have ever seen. She had a deep violet-colored
breast, scarlet wings and a long, long sweeping tail of gold. She was
unimaginably beautiful but looked dreadfully tired. Already she had her
head under her wing; and she swayed gently from side to side on top of
the ink-stand like a bird that has flown long and far.

"Sh!" said Dab-Dab. "Miranda is asleep. I've got this little imp
Cheapside in here. Listen, Doctor: for Heaven's sake send that sparrow
away before he does any more mischief. He's nothing but a vulgar little
nuisance. We've had a perfectly awful time trying to get Miranda to
stay. Shall I serve your tea in here, or will you come into the kitchen
when you're ready?"

"We'll come into the kitchen, Dab-Dab," said the Doctor. "Let Cheapside
out before you go, please."

Dab-Dab opened the bookcase-door and Cheapside strutted out trying hard
not to look guilty.

"Cheapside," said the Doctor sternly, "what did you say to Miranda when
she arrived?"

"I didn't say nothing, Doc, straight I didn't. That is, nothing much. I
was picking up crumbs off the gravel path when she comes swanking into
the garden, turning up her nose in all directions, as though she owned
the earth--just because she's got a lot of colored plumage. A London
sparrow's as good as her any day. I don't hold by these gawdy bedizened
foreigners nohow. Why don't they stay in their own country?"

"But what did you say to her that got her so