ars, he builds a bonfire of sweet
spices and lies down on it; when he is burned to ashes, out of the
cinders rises up a new Phoenix with crimson and golden feathers who
also lives five hundred years, and so on. It looks something like an
eagle, though to be sure it is a great deal more magnificent than
the eagle, and is a very wise bird. I do not know how old the
present Phoenix is; persons differ about his age. Now it was a
Phoenix--surely the great-great-great-grandfather of the one who was
living in the reign of Shahtah, King of Percan, that made the Old Brown
Coat; and the descendants of that bird, called generally Phoenix the
Tailor, took a great interest in the coat and in all who wore it. The
Phoenix who was living at the time of this story, was very much
concerned about the stealing of the coat. He was a very old bird; he was
four hundred and ninety-five years old when Shahtah was killed, and of
course knew a great deal.

"Such a thing has not happened in my memory," said he, gravely, "but the
times are growing very degenerate. When I was young there was a great
deal more respect shown to the Old Brown Coat. That coat was made by the
Tailor, my great-great-great grandfather. I can remember when the whole
kingdom would have held their breath if there had happened a rent in the
coat. But the times are sadly degenerate. I am sure I don't know what
the world will come to after I die."

This he said to the Tufters. The Phoenix of course can have no
children, so he generally adopts four birds of some other family and
brings them up to wait on him. The four adopted children of the
Phoenix were Tufters, that is a kind of goose, but differing from the
goose in having a very fine scarlet tuft on the head which sets off the
white body very finely; besides the Tufter is very wise. You sometimes
hear persons say--as silly as a goose, but never as silly as a Tufter.
Still the Tufters are geese after all, and are very fond of cackling.
So, when the Phoenix had done speaking, the Tufters looked at one
another and burst into a fit of cackling. The Phoenix was very much
displeased at this. "How often have I told you," said he, "not to cackle
in that way. It is very disrespectful in you. Besides this is no
cackling matter." So the Tufters tried to look solemn, which made them
look very much like geese. "I don't know exactly what it is best to do
about this," proceeded the Phoenix, stroking his beak with one of his
claws as he al