








                         THE FAITHLESS PARROT



                       DESIGNED AND NARRATED BY

                          CHARLES H. BENNETT


            [Illustration: TITTUMS AND FIDO MAKING IT UP.]




                                LONDON

                         G. ROUTLEDGE AND Co.

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THE FAITHLESS PARROT.

BY CHARLES H. BENNETT.


There once lived happily together, in a fine house, a
tortoise-shell Cat and a pretty white Dog: the Cat's name was
Tittums; the Dog's, Fido. In course of time the pretty Dog fell
in love with the Cat, and only waited for a good chance to
disclose his affections. This came one day, when Tittums had put
her paws on the fender, dropped her head a little on one side,
half closed her eyes, and seemed thinking of nothing at all. Then
Fido, who lay stretched at full length upon the hearth-rug,
looked steadfastly at her, and heaving a gentle whine, said,--

"Oh, Tittums, I've fallen in love!"

[Illustration: FIDO COURTING TITTUMS.]

"Indeed!" replied the prudent Cat, not wishing to show him how
anxious she was.

"Yes, indeed," continued the little Doggy, rather hurt at her
coldness: "it's you that I've fallen in love with. Do you like
me, Tittums?"

But Tittums would not answer, even with a single _purr-r_! and it
was only upon her giving him a sly look out of the corner of her
left eye that he guessed how much she did like him. However, made
bold by even this small token of esteem, he came quietly up, and
sat by her side; even going so far, at last, as to take her out
for a short walk down the garden-path, where they looked through
the railings at the people passing by.

"Well," said Fido to himself, "I have no doubt but she will love
me in time; all the more, as I have great hopes of growing bigger
before the spring."

[Illustration: TITTUMS DESERTING FIDO.]

But one morning, when Tittums came in from a visit she had been
paying her mamma, she was followed by a gentleman from the
tropics, who, with all the impudence of his race, made himself
quite at home, pressed Tittums' paw to his heart, called her
"the loveliest of Cats," asked her to oblige him with a song,
which he had been told she could sing very sweetly, and never
took the least notice of poor Fido, who was sitting in the
corner. To tell the truth, poor Fido was very cross, and began to
growl quite savagely; the more so when, to his dismay, he beheld
the pleasure with which Tittums heard all this nonsense. He could
not think what right the bold stranger had to come there unasked;
for all that he had bright red and green feathers, a rakish,
broad-brimmed hat, and a gold-headed walking-cane, he was not
good-looking, that was very certain.

But Tittums was very much struck by his appearance and bearing;
his feathers were so pretty, he spoke so many languages, shrieked
so terribly and in such a loud voice, had travelled so much, and
was so struck by the beauty of Tittums, that, poor little Cat as
she was, she ceased to care a button for faithful Fido, and kept
all her sly glances for Mr. Paul Parrot.

"Lovely Tittums," said Mr. Paul, "you must forget such upstart
puppies as Fido. Listen to me--I am a traveller--I speak five
languages,--I have a palace made of golden bars, within which is
a perch fit for a king,--I have a pension of bread and milk and
Barcelona nuts: all of which I will share with you. To-morrow we
will go for a trip into the field next to the house. Good-by for
the present, my dear Pussy Cat;" and he went away kissing his
hand.

Poor Fido howled. Naughty Tittums!

As day followed day, Miss Puss neglected her little Dog more and
more. She walked out with Mr. Paul Parrot, she sang to him,
looked kindly at him, and, in fact, only seemed happy when he was
by. Poor Fido was true to his first love, although almost brought
to despair; he got very thin indeed, and his fine bushy coat,
which he had kept nice and clean, became ragged and dirty.

Indeed, Mr. Parrot carried all before him; he was so grand, so
loving, and so clever, that Fido from being deserted became
despised, and was indeed thinking about hanging himself on the
meat-hook in the kitchen.

[Illustration: TITTUMS WALKING OUT WITH THE PARROT.]

[Illustration: THE PARROT COURTING THE JACKDAW.]

One evening, just after dark, as he was roaming about, feeling
very sad, and thinking that, perhaps, it would be better to run
away than to use the meat-hook, he all at once found himself in
the next garden, and while he was looking round him, he heard
voices.

"Lovely Mrs. Daw," said one of the voices which he seemed to
recognise, "I am a traveller--I speak five languages--I have a
palace made of golden bars, within which is a perch fit for a
king,--I have a pension of bread and milk and nuts; all of which
I will share with you. To-morrow we will fly for an excursion on
to the great oak-tree in Farmer Hodges' field."

"Dear me!" thought Fido, "this must be Mr. Parrot." And, sure
enough, so it was,--Mr. Parrot, indeed, and making the warmest of
love to old Mrs. Daw, the widow of Miser Jack Daw, who, during a
long life, and by means of stealing and saving, had laid by a
large fortune, which he had left Mrs. Daw to enjoy.

The old widow seemed very much pleased at the warmth of Mr.
Paul's love, and no doubt thought that every word he said was
true; leering round at him with her old eyes, and wishing that
she had put on a clean muslin cap, as it might have made her look
even younger than she thought she did.

As for Fido, he almost jumped for joy; he ran home as soon as
ever he could.

"Oh, Tittums!" said he, heedless of her scornful looks, "what do
you think I have found out? There is that rascal of a Paul
Parrot, who pretends so much love for you, courting Widow Daw at
this very moment; and if you come at once you may see it with
your own eyes."

"Nonsense!" replied Tittums: "I do not believe it."

"Well," said the Dog, "to convince you, if you will only come to
the other side of the wall you shall see that what I have said is
quite true."

But Pussy, trusting in the honour of Mr. Paul, would not believe
a word, and it was only after a great deal of persuasion that she
was induced to jump over the wall and listen.

[Illustration: EAVES-DROPPERS.]

Mr. Paul and Mrs. Daw were still courting, and the Parrot was
trying, by coaxing the old lady, to find out how much she was
worth, and where all her treasures were hid. Indeed Mrs. Daw was
just on the point of telling him her secret, when Tittums, unable
to contain herself, rushed at Mr. Paul and scratched his face.

"Oh, you bad Parrot!" she said; "did you not promise to marry me,
and take me to your golden palace?"

"Golden palace!" screamed Mrs. Daw: "why, you wicked bird, that's
what you promised me. Stay, ma'am, what did he say besides?--did
he promise you any bread and milk, or any Barcelona nuts?"

"Yes, he did--he did--he did," continued the Cat, scratching and
clawing the false, faithless Parrot as she spoke.

"Well," said Pussy, now fairly exhausted, "I hope you are
satisfied: if ever you come near our house again, I'll scratch
out every feather you have on your back;" and so she left him,
taking Fido with her, who, in spite of his general good nature
and the Parrot's rage, could not resist giving him two or three
sharp bites.

[Illustration: THE PARROT EXPOSED.]

As soon as Mrs. Daw was left alone with Paul, she began to
upbraid him with his falseness,--"You vulgar, stuck-up, ugly,
awkward deceiver! you have neither honesty enough to live by, nor
wings enough to fly with." Whereupon she jumped at him and gave
him such a plucking as spoilt his good looks.

Never after this was the Parrot able to hold up his head. Every
one scorned him; even his golden palace turned out to be a brass
cage; and for his misdeeds a chain was fastened round his leg. He
was confined to a wooden perch, which, out of pure spite, he was
always pecking.

Old Widow Daw kept her secret, and remained unmarried.

Tittums could not help admiring the constancy of Fido; and when
in the spring he had grown bigger, and was promoted to a sweet
red and black collar, Pussy found that she loved him very much
indeed, and made up her mind never more to forsake him.

[Illustration: THE PARROT GETTING A GOOD PICKING]

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