A cloth was spread over one corner of the table and Bessie crawled up to the top of a chair which had been placed with its back close to the table.

This brought the bird almost in line with the saucer.

Johnny took his seat beside her and broke the bread into tiny pieces with his spoon, shoving the particles into the other spoon as fast as Bessie disposed of them.

She gravely clasped her spoon with one claw and brought it to her mouth quite dextrously and ate the contents with evident relish, though it was plain that she enjoyed being admired for being able to do it really more than she enjoyed the bread.

Once in a while her grasp was uncertain and the food was spilled on her breast feathers or fell to the floor.