“The Plummers are called a smart family,” said Sonny Boy firmly, although his cheeks burned. “My brother Tom and my sister Trixie are very clever.”
“Of course you couldn’t have trained those mice if you hadn’t been very clever,” said Otto.
“Those mice have done him good. I’ve never seen him so bright,” whispered the matron. “They’ve done all the children good!”
“And although I went away off to Uncle Fritz’s to get the parrot for him, he says he doesn’t like a parrot,” whispered Lena.
“You like a parrot, don’t you?” said Otto, eagerly, to Sonny Boy.
“I never was very well acquainted with one before. I think this one has a fine voice,” said Sonny Boy politely.
“You like her better than you do the mice, don’t you? You’ll swap, won’t you?” said Otto.
Now this, thought Sonny Boy, was hard! And what would they say at home? Trixie herself had trained the big mouse with the black spots on his ears that they called Admiral Cervera, and Tom would never be willing that Hobson should go out of the family!
