put down the gold dollar or the little carnelian ring, which were
tightly clenched in one hand, I sprang down from the bureau. Running
up the wire flower-stand below the cage, I shook my fist directly
under his beak. It only made him noisier than ever, and he flew about
the cage like something crazy.

"Be still, won't you? you silly thing!" I shrieked, and in my
desperation I made a grab through the bars at his tail-feathers. A
whole handful came out, and that seemed to make him wilder than
before. He beat himself against the top of the cage and screamed so
loud that I thought it would be better to leave before any one heard
him and came in.

So I jumped across to the cabinet near the window, where the big blue
dragon sat. Then I remembered the sugar-plums inside and stopped for
just one taste. I lifted off the dragon's ugly head and was reaching
my hand down inside for one of those delicious sweetmeats, when in
walked Miss Patricia. My! I was scared! I hadn't expected her back so
soon.

I dropped the dragon's old blue head on the floor and was out of the
window like a shot. There was a cedar-tree reaching up past the
window, and I ran out on one of the limbs and hid myself among its
thick branches. I could see her but she couldn't see me. She walked
all around the room, and looked at the wash-stand and the bureau and
at Dick's tail-feathers scattered among the window-plants and then at
the blue dragon's head, smashed all to bits on the floor. Then she
picked up the locket, lying face downwards on the rug, and began
searching for the other things that had been in the jewel-case. I
suppose it was the carnelian ring and the gold dollar with the hole in