The doctor’s advice was repeated at home in the big stone house.
“Didn’t I tell you so!” exclaimed Mrs. Blodgett in huge delight, “didn’t I tell you so!” and she immediately went downtown and bought a new basket for the princess, who fell into a most unaristocratic rage when she was put into it.
“Pigeons is like ca-ca-cats,” remarked Higby, who was watching Mrs. Blodgett induct the princess into her new home. “They h-h-hate changes.”
“But, darlin’ princess, look at the white ribbons,” said Mrs. Blodgett, cajolingly, “an’ the pretty German straw. Why, it’s a lovely basket.”
“Rookety cahoo! rookety cahoo!” said the princess, stepping high and wrathfully shaking her hood.
“Rookety cahoo! or no rookety cahoo!” said Mrs. Blodgett, decidedly, “you’ve got to have it. No dirty old baskets in the Judge’s study. You’ve got to be kept as clean as clean. Higby, you clear up that litter of straw. She aint goin’ to sit on it any more. I’ve got a roll of scrim to make her cushions. She drags the straw about with her claws all over the carpet—and we aint goin’ to feed her in here any more. She drops seeds. We’ll take her in the pantry. I don’t want the Judge to turn her out of his room. If anything happened to her anywhere else we’d be blamed.”
“The Judge don’t take n-n-no notice of her,” grumbled Higby.
“Don’t he—that’s all you know. I see him lookin’ at her, an’ weighin’ her actions, an’ sizin’ her up. I’ll bet you he never knew so much about pigeons afore.”
It was true that the Judge was observing Princess Sukey. He was obliged to do so, for as soon as Titus was allowed to talk he seemed bewitched to get on to the subject of his pigeon. How did she look, had she grown much—there were a few little feathers under her wings that had not started—had they appeared yet? and the Judge was obliged to answer all his questions, and if his observations of the pigeon had not been sufficiently narrow he had to promise to make more.
The days passed by. Young Titus went steadily forward. He never lost a step. The hospital authorities declared that his recuperative powers were marvelous, and the Judge, who had painfully feared some hereditary weakness, silently bowed his head and gave thanks.