I was admitted to her presence to entertain her, and I assure you,
on the word of a parrot, who has seen the world, I have conversed with
much sillier princesses in my time."
"A word in confidence, my dear parrot," said the prince; "I am
heir to a kingdom, and shall one day sit upon a throne. I see that you
are a bird of parts, and understand the world. Help me to gain
possession of this princess, and I will advance you to some
distinguished place about court."
"With all my heart," said the parrot; "but let it be a sinecure if
possible, for we wits have a great dislike to labor."
Arrangements were promptly made; the prince sallied forth from
Cordova through the same gate by which he had entered; called the
owl down from the hole in the wall, introduced him to his new
travelling companion as a brother savant, and away they set off on
their journey.
They travelled much more slowly than accorded with the impatience of
the prince, but the parrot was accustomed to high life, and did not
like to be disturbed early in the morning. The owl, on the other hand,
was for sleeping at mid-day, and lost a great deal of time by his long
siestas. His antiquarian taste also was in the way; for he insisted on
pausing and inspecting every ruin, and had long legendary tales to
tell about every old tower and castle in the country. The prince had
supposed that he and the parrot, being both birds of learning, would
delight in each other's society, but never had he been more
mistaken.
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