“Well, Royal, if I go out now, I must shut and lock the marble box; and then we cannot open it again till the next time we are sick; and that may be a great while.”
“Well,” said Royal, “and suppose it is.”
“Why, then I shall have to wait a great while before I can hear the rest about the parrot.”
“O, never mind the parrot,” said Royal; “I will tell you some stories that will be prettier than that is, a great deal, I dare say.”
“What kind of a story will it be?” said Lucy.
“O, I don’t know,” answered Royal. “What sort of a story should you like?”
“I don’t know much about the different kinds,” said Lucy. “How many different kinds of stories are there?”
“Come with me,” replied Royal, “and I will tell you. I can tell you all about it, while I am making my ship.”
“But I wish you would tell me a little about it now,” said Lucy, “and then I can decide better whether to come or not.”
“Well,” said Royal, “there are three kinds of stories—true stories, probable stories, and extravagant stories.”