the wind; and then he thought he stirred something with his cap; and the
next moment the adder fell on to his shoulder, and bit him in the neck.
He was half mad with the fright; but I think the adder must have bitten
the cap first and expended its poison; for the schoolmaster was only ill
for about two days, and then there was no more of it. But just think of
it--an adder getting to your neck--"

"I would rather not think of it," she said, quickly. "What is the other
animal--that you hate?"

"Oh!" he said, lightly, "that is a very different affair--that is a
parrot that speaks. I was never shut up in the house with one till this
week. My landlady's son brought her home one from the West Indies; and
she put the cage in a window recess on my landing. At first it was a
little amusing; but the constant yelp--it was too much for me. '_Pritty
poal! pritty poal!_' I did not mind so much; but when the ugly brute,
with its beady eyes and its black snout, used to yelp, '_Come and kiz
me! come and kiz me!_' I grew to hate it. And in the morning, too, how
was one to sleep? I used to open my door and fling a boot at it; but
that only served for a time. It began again."

"But you speak of it as having been there. What became of it?"

He glanced at her rather nervously--like a schoolboy--and laughed.

"Shall I tell you?" he said, rather shamefacedly. "The murder will be
out sooner or later. It was this morning. I could stand it no longer. I
had thrown both my boots at it; it was no use. I got up a third time,
and went out. The window, that looks into a back yard, was open. Then I
opened the parrot's cage. But the fool of an animal did not know what I