22/34 They gazed, short breathed, in awe, upon this radiantly bestriped, unspeakably fascinating, wholly and resplendently pulchritudinous creation. They must have known that it was a part of the family pride, a part of the parlor--a part, indeed, of the intermingled fabric of the civilization of Heart's Desire! And yet--alas! One morning the twins foregathered in the parlor. The hour of temptation, as is always the case, found all things well ordered for the success of evil. "There ain't nobody here at all." "Only Bill," said Arabella, looking at the parrot, which regarded them with a badly bored aspect. "I wonder if he'd tell ?" "Oh, dang it all!" remarked Bill; "I'm tired!" "He's awful," remarked Arabella. |