Jane. Mrs. Langdon, I must also speak to you about Master Ned.
Mrs. L. Well.
Jane. This morning he opened the cage door and let your canary fly away, and twisted poor Poll's neck because she said, "Bad boy!"
Mrs. L. Oh! oh! my parrot's neck!
Jane. Yes, ma'am.
Mr. S. Now, madam, this is not thoughtlessness: it is a case of actual badness.
Jane. Yes, and he does something as bad every day.
Andrew. Why, he is worse than Lucifer!
Jane. Every morning, ma'am, he overturns your toilet table, spills the cologne water, upsets your work box, makes your finest letter paper into boats, and puts the kitten to sleep in the crown of your best bonnet; and then, when I beg him to behave, he calls me an old cat, and a buzzard, and a red-headed crab.
Mrs. L. Why have you not told me this before?