[Edinburgh—Friday, 18 June 1869]
Friday morning—must not forget the canary bird! a French woman goes to pay a visit to a neighbor who has a pet canary—the lady has always feared she might do mischief to this canary, treading on it or otherwise it being allowed to wander freely about the house—today her worst prognostications are realized, she sits down upon the Canary. She perceives immediately what has occurred but being a woman of the world possessed of presence of mind says nothing; she resolves in her mind what she shall do—time comes for going away; she rises gracefully and skillfully from her chair sweeps up the canary unperceived in her mantle, puts him into her muff—and the canary is never heard of any more, his fate remaining a mystery to the family until this day!!
The solemn manner in which this tale was related by the french woman to the rotund “indian” of the three husbands (Mrs. Chambers) cannot be conveyed to paper.
