Dick, Marjorie and Fidge: A Search for the Wonderful Dodo
the very thing! With the liberal salary, I shall be able to take a house
somewhere in London, and we can all live together, and have the jolliest
larks. We'll keep a horse and trap, you know, and I'll buy you each a
bicycle, and we'll go to the Pantomime every evening, and to Madame
Tussaud's, and the Zoo, and the Tower of London, and Masklyne and
Cook's, and other things every day--and--and----" he went on
breathlessly.
"But do you know how to do typewriting?" asked Dick, dubiously.
"Well--er, not exactly," admitted the Dodo; "but," he added, hopefully,
"I can soon learn, you know; and, besides, the advertisement fits me
exactly. I'm sure I'm quick and accurate; and as for my respectability,
look at my gloves! I'm sure any one would engage me directly they saw
what a superior person I was."
"How much do you think the salary will be?" asked Marjorie.
"Oh, I don't know. I suppose they'll be glad to pay me anything I like
to ask," replied the Dodo, "and I shall be sure to ask enough, you may
be certain of that."
"But how are we to get to Norfolk Street, Strand?" persisted Marjorie.
"We don't know where it is."
"Father said, that if we were ever lost, we were to jump into a cab, and
ask to be driven to wherever we wanted to go," suggested Dick,
practically.
"Of course," said the Dodo, "just what I intended doing." And then he
rattled on about what he should do, and buy, when he got the situation,
till at last the train stopped, and the Porter shouted out, "Victoria!"
They all hurried out, and, disregarding the curious glances which their
unusual appearance excited, made their way to the nearest hansom, and
asked to be driven to Norfolk Street.
There was some little difficulty at first, as to how they should all
find room in the cab, but it was finally decided that the Dodo should
sit on the top, while the three children managed to find room inside.
The Dodo, from his elevated position, had a capital view of everything
of interest which they passed, and kept the cabby highly amused by his
exceedingly naive remarks about them all; while, to every exclamation of
surprise or derision, which met them on every side from astounded street
boys, the remarkable bird had something droll and amusing to say in
reply. In fact, the driver declares to this day, that he never before or
since has had so extraordinary a fare.
CHAPTER XXV.
THE DODO OBLIGES WITH A SONG.
"Hold hard! Stop! Here we are!" cried the Dodo, soon after they had
reached Charing Cross. "There's A. B. C."
"We haven't got to Norfolk Street yet," said the cabby.
"Never mind, there's A. B. C., and that's who I want," declared the
Dodo, scrambling down from the roof. "You stay in the cab till I come
back," he called out to the children, smoothing his gloves and settling
his tie as he walked towards the door.
The children watched him enter, and through the glass door of the
shop--for it was a shop into which he had gone--saw him engaged in a
lengthy conversation with a young lady, who at first seemed afraid of
him; but, some more ladies coming up, they closed around the bird, and
seemed to be highly amused at something, while the Dodo grew more and
more excited, waving his pinions about, and stamping his claws
furiously, and finally rushing out of the shop and slamming the door too
violently.
"I never heard of such impertinence," he declared, puffing and blowing
in his excitement, "putting up A. B. C., when they are nothing of the
sort. They wanted to tell me that they have a right to use those
letters, because they are the Aerated Bread Company. What rubbish! They
might as well stick up X. Y. Z. Who's to know what's meant? Aerated
Bread Company, indeed! It might as well have stood for Antediluvian
Bottlewashing Company. Bah! I've no patience with such nonsense." And in
a highly-ruffled state of mind he scrambled back to his place on the
roof, and told the cabby to drive on to Norfolk Street.
After a few minutes' ride they stopped outside a handsome building, and
the Dodo once more alighted, and went up the steps to where a man in
brown livery, with gilt buttons, stood by the lift.
"Are you A. B. C.?" demanded the Dodo, posing in what he evidently took
to be a dignified attitude.
"N--no--second floor!" gasped the astonished attendant.
"Dear me, what a bother," said the Dodo. "Just go and tell him I'm here,
will you?" he said; "I've come about the situation, you know."
"Oh!" said the man, "you'd better go up; there are several applicants
already."
"Bless me!" cried the Dodo, in alarm. "I'd better hurry then."
"Will you go up in the lift--er--Sir?" asked the attendant.
"What's that?" demanded the Dodo.
"Oh, get in, and you'll see," said the man, unceremoniously, pushing the
bird into the lift, and getting in after him.
He pulled the rope, and up they went, the Dodo sinking to the ground
with a ridiculous sprawl as the lift ascended.
"Oh! Oh! Stop!" he screamed, shrilly.
But the lift went till the second floor was reached, when the attendant
opened the door, and bundled the bird out into the passage.
"Second door on the left," he called out, and, pulling the string, was
soon out of sight again.
"Good gracious!" gasped the bewildered Dodo, "I was never so bustled
about before in all my life. But now for this A. B. C., whoever he is. I
mustn't lose the situation if I can help it."
The second door on the left was soon found, and the Dodo knocked with
his beak.
A small youth appeared, who at first seemed rather alarmed, but
presently exploded into a half-stifled laugh. "My hat!" he exclaimed.
"Here's a go! Why, blessed if it ain't a bird with gloves on--and a
tie--oh! what a lark!"
"No," said the Dodo, with dignity, "not a lark--your education must have
been sadly neglected, my good boy--I'm a Dodo, or _the_ Dodo, in fact."
"Well, I never!" said the boy, "if it isn't talking!"
"Of course. Why not?" demanded the Dodo.
"Oh! oh! this is too good! What may your business be, Mr.--er--Dodo?"
"I've come about the situation," said the bird, smoothing his gloves
consequentially.
The boy exploded into a fit of laughter. "Oh, come in!" he cried. "This
is better than a circus--come in--I'll tell the Governor you're here."
And the Dodo was ushered into a room where two or three gentlemen were
sitting at high desks.
"Who is it, Perkins?" said one of the gentlemen.
"Some one about the situation, Sir," said Perkins, stuffing his
handkerchief into his mouth to prevent himself laughing aloud.
The gentlemen all turned around and stared at the Dodo.
"Why, it's a bird!" cried one.
"Of course it is; what else did you expect I was?" said the Dodo. "Are
you A. B. C.?"
"No--no," stammered the man. "I'm the Head Clerk, though, and--I----"
"I've no time to waste with Head Clerks," said the Dodo. "Just go and
tell A. B. C. I'm here, will you?"
"But er----"
At this moment an inner door opened, and another gentleman stepped into
the room.
"Whatever is all this noise----" he began, when he caught sight of the
Dodo.
"Are you A. B. C.?" said the bird, pouncing upon him at once.
"Well--really," said the gentleman, "I----"
"Don't beat about the bush. Are you A. B. C., or are you not?" demanded
the Dodo.
"Yes, I am, but----"
"Very well, then, I've come to take the situation, and I'll just draw my
first week's salary at once, if you please."
"But," said the gentleman, with an amused smile, "I must see some of
your work first. Perkins, bring the typewriter!"
The boy brought the instrument, and placed it on a small table.
"Now, then," said the gentleman, motioning the Dodo towards it.
"Oh! it's so long since I played," said the Dodo, smirking bashfully, "I
think I have almost forgotten my notes; however, I'll try." And,
throwing his head back, he shrieked out in a discordant voice--
"_Do--o--o not--a--for--r--r--get m--e--e--e_!" banging on the keys at
the same time with both pinions.
"Here! Stop! Stop!" called out the gentleman; "you'll break it! _That's_
not the way to do typewriting."
"No?" said the Dodo, innocently. "I thought it was a kind of piano. I
was singing to you, you know."
"Oh! were you?" remarked the gentleman. "Well, don't do it again,
please. I can see you won't do for us as typewriter," he added; "but
perhaps I can get you a good situation at the Zoological Gardens. What
do you say to that, eh?"
The Dodo, who during the first part of the speech looked very
crestfallen, brightened up considerably.
"Yes, I should think that would do," he said; "I'll just go and ask the
others."
"What others?" demanded the gentleman.
And the Dodo explained about Marjorie, and Dick, and Fidge, who had been
waiting in the cab all this time.
The children were at once sent for, and the whole party were shown into
the private room, where Marjorie and Dick related their marvelous
adventures, as well as the continual interruptions of the Dodo would
permit them to do.
CHAPTER XXVI.
THE DODO DEPARTS.
"It seems to me," said the gentleman, kindly, when the children had
finished the story of their adventure, and had given him their names and
addresses, "it seems to me that the first thing to be done is to get
some suitable clothes for you."
"Oh! we never thought of that," cried Marjorie, looking down at her bare
feet in dismay. "You see, there have been such a lot of strange things
happening lately that we quite forgot how we all looked. Of course," she
laughed, glancing at the others, "we must appear very funny indeed,
dressed in this fashion."
"Ah! I fancy we can soon put that right," was the kind reply. "I have
some boys and girls of my own, you know, and I think, if I send a note
to my wife, she will be able to find some garments that you can wear for
the time being. And the next thing is, to let your father and mother
know that you are here. I expect they must be very anxious about you by
this time."
"Dear me!" exclaimed Dick, looking greatly troubled, "that's another
thing we never thought of, Marjorie."
"I want to see my Daddy!" announced Fidge, suddenly and decidedly.
But on being assured that he should soon do so he sat down with the
others, and looked through the picture books which Perkins found for
them, while the gentleman sent home for the clothes, and telegraphed to
their father.
In the middle of the day some luncheon was brought in for them from a
neighboring restaurant, and soon afterwards the clothes arrived.
An Eton suit for Dick, the jacket of which was just a trifle short; a
pretty, simple dress for Marjorie; and a sailor suit for Fidge.
When the children had donned these, after having had a good wash, they
looked as different as possible; and when, a little later on, they were
led into another room with the mysterious statement, "That somebody
wanted to see them," they were all eagerness to know who it possibly
could be.
As soon as the door opened, however, there could be no doubt as to who
it was, for with a delighted cry of "Oh, Papa! Papa!" Marjorie rushed
into the arms of a gentleman standing in the middle of the room, and
seemed half undecided whether to cry or to laugh, while Fidge and Dick
crowded around and joined in the excitement.
The Dodo, who had come into the room at that moment, thought that he,
too, ought to have a share in the welcoming, and, in grotesque imitation
of Marjorie, he tried to jump up into the gentleman's arms, crying
excitedly, "Oh, Papa! Papa!" just as she had done.
"Good gracious!" exclaimed the children's father, drawing back in