THINK your house is the most interesting house I was ever in," I said as we set off in the direction of the town. "May I come and see you again to-morrow?"
"Certainly," said the Doctor. "Come any day you like. To-morrow I'll show you the garden and my private zoo."
"Oh, have you a zoo?" I asked.
"Yes," said he. "The larger animals are too big for the house, so I keep them in a zoo in the garden. It is not a very big collection but it is interesting in its way."
"It must be splendid," I said, "to be able to talk all the languages of the different animals. Do you think I could ever learn to do it?"
"Oh surely," said the Doctor--"with practise. You have to be very patient, you know. You really ought to have Polynesia to start you. It was she who gave me my first lessons."
"Who is Polynesia?" I asked.
"Polynesia was a West African parrot I had. She isn't with me any more now," said the Doctor sadly.
"Why--is she dead?"
"Oh no," said the Doctor. "She is still living, I hope. But when we reached Africa she seemed so glad to get back to her own country. She wept for joy. And when the time came for me to come back here I had not the heart to take her away from that sunny land--although, it is true, she did offer to come. I left her in Africa--Ah well! I have missed her terribly. She wept again when we left. But I think I did the right thing. She was one of the best friends I ever had. It was she who first gave me the idea of learning the animal languages and becoming an animal doctor. I often wonder if she remained happy in Africa, and whether I shall ever see her funny, old, solemn face again-- Good old Polynesia!--A most extraordinary bird--Well, well!"
Just at that moment we heard the noise of some one running behind us; and turning round we saw Jip the dog rushing down the road after us, as fast as his legs could bring him. He seemed very excited about something, and as soon as he came up to us, he started barking and whining to the Doctor in a peculiar way. Then the Doctor too seemed to get all worked up and began talking and making queer signs to the dog. At length he turned to me, his face shining with happiness.
"Polynesia has come back!" he cried. "Imagine it. Jip says she has just arrived at the house. My! And it's five years since I saw her-- Excuse me a minute."
He turned as if to go back home. But the parrot, Polynesia, was already flying towards us. The Doctor clapped his hands like a child getting a new toy; while the swarm of sparrows in the roadway fluttered, gossiping, up on to the fences, highly scandalized to see a gray and scarlet parrot skimming down an English lane.
On she came, straight on to the Doctor's shoulder, where she immediately began talking a steady stream in a language I could not understand. She seemed to have a terrible lot to say. And very soon the Doctor had forgotten all about me and my squirrel and Jip and everything else; till at length the bird clearly asked him something about me.
"Oh excuse me, Stubbins!" said the Doctor. "I was so interested listening to my old friend here. We must get on and see this squirrel of yours--Polynesia, this is Thomas Stubbins."
The parrot, on the Doctor's shoulder, nodded gravely towards me and then, to my great surprise, said quite plainly in English, "How do you do? I remember the night you were born. It was a terribly cold winter. You were a very ugly baby."
"Stubbins is anxious to learn animal language," said the Doctor.
"I was just telling him about you and the lessons you gave me when Jip ran up and told us you had arrived."
"Well," said the parrot, turning to me, "I may have started the Doctor learning but I never could have done even that, if he hadn't first taught me to understand what I was saying when I spoke English. You see, many parrots can talk like a person, but very few of them understand what they are saying. They just say it because--well, because they fancy it is smart or, because they know they will get crackers given them."
By this time we had turned and were going towards my home with Jip running in front and Polynesia still perched on the Doctor's shoulder. The bird chattered incessantly, mostly about Africa; but now she spoke in English, out of politeness to me.
"How is Prince Bumpo getting on?" asked the Doctor.
"Oh, I'm glad you asked me," said Polynesia. "I almost forgot to tell you. What do you think?--BUMPO IS IN ENGLAND!"
"In England!--You don't say!" cried the Doctor. "What on earth is he doing here?"
"His father, the king, sent him here to a place called--er--Bullford, I think it was--to study lessons."
"Bullford!--Bullford!" muttered the Doctor. "I never heard of the place--Oh, you mean Oxford."
"Yes, that's the place--Oxford," said Polynesia "I knew it had cattle in it somewhere. Oxford--that's the place he's gone to."
"Well, well," murmured the Doctor. "Fancy Bumpo studying at Oxford--Well, well!"
