She found herself in a long Gothic hall with low seats against the wall on each side. At one end was a raised dais, on which was a throne with a canopy over it. The centre of the room was quite bare. On the seats against the wall were sitting a number of animals, and Girlie could see that the Fish with a cold and his companion the Calf were sitting near the throne. The Fish had his tail in a tub of hot mustard-and-water; and by his side was a small table, on which were a basin of gruel, some cough mixture and a packet of lozenges. And near him, at a low desk, sat a Lobster writing rapidly; Girlie afterwards discovered that he was a Reporter. None of the animals had taken the slightest notice of her on her entrance except an old white Cockatoo in a Paisley shawl, carrying a huge market-basket, and who, as soon as Girlie sat down, made some remark to two Monkeys who were sitting near her. The Monkeys laughed, and one of them, leaning forward so that he could see Girlie more distinctly, made a grimace at her.
“Don’t take any notice of them, dear,” said a motherly-looking Penguin, who sat next to her knitting a very curiously-shaped stocking. “They are always rude to strangers; and I think you have not been here before, have you?” she asked smilingly.
“No, never,” replied Girlie, smiling back again, for she quite took to this kindly-looking creature.
“You’re what they call a Proper Noun, aren’t you?” asked the Penguin after a pause.
Girlie thought the matter over, and then replied that she supposed she was, although usually spoken of as a little girl.
“It’s all the same, my dear,” said the Penguin. “All girls are nouns, you know, although all nouns are not girls, which is very funny when you come to think of it, because——”
Before she could finish the sentence, there was a stir amongst the animals, when a severe-looking gentleman in black velvet and steel buckles and buttons entered, carrying a long wand.
“Silence!” he cried in a loud voice, and the talking, which had been going on all over the room, immediately ceased.
“The Husher,” whispered the Penguin, hastily putting away her knitting.
“Silence!” again called out the Husher, glaring fiercely at Girlie.