oo
herself--a cockatoo in a citron velvet bonnet, with a bird of Paradise
feather. When that old lady put up her eye-glass, she would have
frightened a yard-dog; but Lettice stood on tip-toes and stroked the
feather, saying, "What a love-e-ly bird!" And next day came
Cocky--perch and all complete--_for the little girl who loves birds_.
Lettice was proud of Cocky, but Edward really loved him, and took
trouble with him.

Edward is a good boy. My mother called him after the Black Prince.

He and I disgraced ourselves in the eyes of the Cockatoo lady, and it
cost the family thirty thousand pounds, which we can ill afford to
lose. It was unlucky that she came to luncheon the very day that
Edward and I had settled to dress up as Early Britons, in blue woad,
and dine off earth-nuts in the shrubbery. As we slipped out at the
side door, the yellow chariot drove up to the front. We had doormats
on, as well as powder-blue, but the old lady was terribly shocked, and
drove straight away, and did not return. Nurse says she is my father's
godmother, and has thirty thousand pounds, which she would have
bequeathed to us if we had not offended her. I take the blame
entirely, because I always made the others play as I pleased.

We used to play at all kinds of things--concerts, circuses,
theatricals, and sometimes conjuring. Uncle Patrick had not been to
see us for a long time, when one day we heard that he was coming, and
I made up my mind at once that I would have a perfectly new
entertainment for him.

We like having entertainments for Uncle Patrick, because he is such a
very good audience. He laughs, and cries, and claps, and thumps with
his crutch, and if things go badly, he amuses the rest.

Ever since I can remember anything, I remember an old print, called
"The Happy Family," over our nursery fire-place, and how I used to
wonder at that immovable cat, with sparrows on her back, sitting
between an owl and a magpie. And it was when I saw Edward sitting with
Benjamin the cat, and two sparrows he had brought up by hand,
struggling and laughing because Cocky would push itself, crest first,
under his waistcoat, and come out at the top to kiss him--that an idea
struck me; and I resolved to have a Happy Family for Uncle Patrick,
and to act Showman myself.

Edward can do anything with beasts. He was absolutely necessary as
confederate, but it was possible Lettice might want to show off with
Cocky, and I did not want a girl on the st