"Indeed? Nor in the Bay of Palermo? The Italians call it the Golden Shell."
"I don't s'pose I ever," replied Dotty, with a faint effort to keep up appearances; "but I went to Quoddy Bay once!"
"So you haven't seen the loory? It is a beautiful bird, and talks better than a parrot. I have one at home."
"O, have you?" said Dotty, in a tone of the deepest respect.
"Yes; then there is the mina, a brown bird, larger than a crow; converses quite fluently. You have heard of a mina, I dare say."
Dotty shook her head in despair. She was so overwhelmed by this time, that, if Adolphus had told of going with Captain Lally to the moon in a balloon, she would not have been greatly surprised.
A humorous smile played around the boy's mouth. Observing his little companion's extreme simplicity, he was tempted to invent some marvellous stories for the sake of seeing her eyes shine.
"I can explain it to her afterwards," said he to his conscience.
"Did you ever hear of the Great Dipper, Dotty?"
"I don't know's I did. No."