'THE BIRD ROSE' in its nest of fire, stretched its wings, and flew out into the room. It flew round and round, and round again, and where it passed the air was warm. Then it perched on the fender. The children looked at each other. Then Cyril put out a hand towards the bird. It put its head on one side and looked up at him, as you may have seen a parrot do when it is just going to speak, so that the children were hardly astonished at all when it said, âBe careful; I am not nearly cool yet.â
They were not astonished, but they were very, very much interested.
They looked at the bird, and it was certainly worth looking at. Its feathers were like gold. It was about as large as a bantam, only its beak was not at all bantam-shaped. âI believe I know what it is,â said Robert. âIâve seen a picture.â
He hurried away. A hasty dash and scramble among the papers on fatherâs study table yielded, as the sum-books say, âthe desired resultâ. But when he came back into the room holding out a paper, and crying, âI say, look here,â the others all said âHush!â and he hushed obediently and instantly, for the bird was speaking.
âWhich of you,â it was saying, âput the egg into the fire?â
âHe did,â said three voices, and three fingers pointed at Robert.
The bird bowed; at least it was more like that than anything else.
âI am your grateful debtor,â it said with a highbred air.
The children were all choking with wonder and curiosityâall except Robert. He held the paper in his hand, and he KNEW. He said so. He saidâ
âI know who you are.â
And he opened and displayed a printed paper, at the head of which was a little picture of a bird sitting in a nest of flames.
âYou are the PHOENIX,â
said Robert; and the bird was quite pleased.
âMy fame has lived then for two thousand years,â it said. âAllow me to look at my portrait.â It looked at the page which Robert, kneeling down, spread out in the fender, and saidâ
âItâs not a flattering likeness...
And what are these characters?â it asked, pointing to the printed part.