Midway in the afternoon she appeared again, bringing with her a schoolmate, whom she introduced as Polly Dudley.
“May your bird sing for Polly?” Lilith asked. “I do so want her to hear him!”
“If he will,” answered Doodles, throwing shy glances towards the pretty stranger.
But the mocker was not in an obliging mood, and had to be coaxed and coaxed before he would even give a note.
Finally Blue began whistling “Annie Laurie,” and after it had been many times repeated the bird joined in, to the unbounded delight of the girls. Once started, he kept on, putting the young visitors into raptures with his marvelous powers.
“Now you had better ask Doodles to sing,” called Mrs. Gaylord from the dining-room.
“Oh, do!” the girls begged.
Without hesitation the boy commenced a favorite hymn, and at least one of his audience was so surprised and captivated by his performance as to sit motionless until the song was ended.
Then, while Lilith ran into exclamations of praise, Polly caught one of Doodles’s hands, saying in her soft voice:—
“Does it tire you very much?”