When the music ceased, a raven and parrot, who had perched upon the padre’s broad-brimmed hat, commenced a gossiping promenade, backwards and forwards upon the diametric extremes of its circumference, alternating the rise and descent of its rim from his nose to the back of his coat-collar, to his great annoyance, which added to the comical effect. But the padre continued silent, notwithstanding the birds’ quotations of his familiar phrases, “Well, I declare! my conscience’ sake!” and the like, which seemed to be prompted by the changes wrought in the position of his hat. At length Correliana became mindful of their annoyance, and despatched them to their roosts; then she apologized to the padre for the liberty she had taken, by saying, that they had imitated her when she was repeating his phrases to familiarize her ear with the intonations of the English language. “But I am not alone accountable,” she said, “for that demure personage,” pointing to the prætor, “has largely contributed by his patience and perseverance to their proficiency. The Doschessa wishes to have me remind you that their imitations are an apt example of ritual observances, classical educations, and fashionable accomplishments, which are styled the progressive features of Giga civilization.”
“It pleases me to hear you try to make the padre understand the difference between a practical education and one of words,” patronizingly added Dr. Baāhar.
This assumption of the doctor’s dispersed the depressing cloud that weighed upon the padre’s spirits, who replied, “Ah doctor, you forget that to-day you were unable to make the material distinction between an ancient goddess of your fathers, and a Heraclean statue crowned with Kyronese mousetraps, even with the advantage of your wordy education?”
Mr. Welson laughingly commended Correliana and the prætor for their successful essay in the professorial art, offering to recommend their talents to the Dominican College of Guatemala, or its Jesuitical propagandic rival institution of Chinandagua of Nicaragua, which were devoted to the education of parrots for the dissemination of their tenets among the people, if disposed to enlarge their sphere of usefulness. Declining, in the same vein, his intercession in their behalf, the members of the corps were invited to join the family of the prætor at the table, where they could have the advantage of seeing and hearing the Manatitlans, as the Dosch was desirous of joining in the conversation. The voice of Correliana aroused chirping murmurs from the leafy coverts of tree and bush, but with such drowsy pipes of recognition it was easy to discover that the notes were muffled in the head’s feathery couch beneath the wings. When seated, the Dosch addressed the padre as follows, “Your race claim that the chief object of their lives is to obtain present and future happiness; now I would like to ask you whether your ‘system of education,’ founded upon the parotic rehearsal of progenitorial self-inflicted woes, has any tendency for the fulfillment of their hopes? Then answer, with thoughtful consideration drawn from your day’s experience, whether you have ever approached so near the shrine of an enjoyment, so pure and unadulterated, in joyful impression, as that of to-day?”