“Oh! is he? Well, why shouldn’t he talk? He has lived so long among chatter-boxes that I should think he might by this time.”
“But you needn’t make fun, Nunky. He did talk just now. I’ll leave it to Posy.”
“_That’s so!_” replied Beppo, wagging his tail.
“Oh, hear him!” exclaimed Posy, dancing about in a great flutter; while Pollio rolled over and over, and jerked his elbows, crying,—
“I never, never, never! Did _you_ ever, uncle Rufus?”
“_Your papa w’ipped me!_” repeated Beppo.
Uncle Rufus seemed very much interested now, and watched the dog closely; but he was a man who was seldom surprised at any thing.
“No, I never heard a dog talk before; but what is there so very remarkable about it? Parrots can talk; and parrots don’t know half as much as dogs.”
“O Nunky, Nunky! it _is_ queer,” exclaimed Pollio, astonished at his uncle’s coolness. “Why, he has lived here ever so long, and didn’t ever talk before.”
“But don’t you think it’s queer, Nunky? don’t you think it’s queer?”
“Well, rather so, perhaps; but I always knew Beppo was a bright dog.—Come here, old fellow, and tell us why you never talked before.”
“_Afraid you’d laugh at me_,” replied Beppo, looking up in Mr. Gilman’s face rather bashfully.
“Oh, I must tell mamma! I must tell everybody!” burst forth the twins with one voice.
Mamma was busy up stairs with her dressmaker; and nobody was to be found but Teddy, who smiled in the most provoking way when told that Beppo was talking.
“You expect me to believe that story, do you?” said he, entering the parlor with a curling lip.
“_Now_ see!” cried Pollio. “There, Beppo, sir, this is Teddy. Now say, ‘How do you do, Teddy?’”
Beppo held out his paw as he had been taught to do, but said nothing.
“_That’s_ the way he talks, is it?” said Teddy scornfully. “I’ve seen him do as much as that a good many times.”
“Oh! but he _did_ talk, now truly.—We didn’t cheat; did we, Posy?—Talk again, Beppo. Say, ‘Your papa w’ipped me,’ and I’ll give you some cream.”
Beppo rolled his soft brown eyes as if trying to speak, but not a sound passed his lips.
“Say one word; say ‘Teddy,’ and I’ll give you some chicken.”
“Well, say some other word. I don’t care what word.”
“Poh! I can’t stop any longer for this: it’s too foolish,” said Teddy.