_The Transmigration of Miss_ DOROTHY CHATTERFAST _into the Body of a
Magpie._
In one corner of the room where poor _Tony Pig_ was confined, hung a
large cage, which was the prison of a pert young magpie. As soon as my
son _Jacky_ who was the youngest of the company, and remarkably fond of
birds, had saluted her by the well known appellation of _mag, poor
mag_; she wagged her tail with surprising agility, and began to chatter
in such an elevated tone, and with such a rapid pronunciation, that I
was heartily glad when the kind Bramin commanded silence. "The body of
this party coloured, loquacious bird, said he, is the involuntary
residence of the late Miss Dorothy Chatterfast; who was a most
notorious little gossip, and belonged to a family which is as numerous
as that of the _Greedyguts_. To do her justice, she was a handsome
little girl, and as brisk and notable as any young miss in her
neighbourhood. But to her own misfortune, and the unspeakable vexation
of most persons who came within the sphere of her observation, her
little tongue was as active as her hands. She learned to talk very
early, and so speedy was her improvement in the art of prattling, that,
before she was three years old, she could lisp out a tale in very
intelligible language. Her parents were so unwise as to encourage her
in this mischievous kind of ingenuity, not only from the pleasure they
took in hearing how fast she learned to speak, but because they
considered it as an infallible token that she would, in time, prove an
excellent wit and a notable manager. It is not, therefore, to be
wondered at, that she took a great deal of notice of every thing which
passed in the family, and particularly in the kitchen. If any of the
servants accidentally broke a teacup, or saucer, a glass, &c. or
received an unexpected visit from some of their acquaintance, or
relations, when her parents happened to be absent from home; she never
failed to inform them of it, the first opportunity, with many
aggravating circumstances of her own invention; for which they
generally complimented her, by way of reward, with the flattering
titles of _a good child_, _a sweet little dear_, and _a careful little
girl_. By this officious impertinence she frequently got the servants
reprimanded, and sometimes dismissed; so that by degrees they all began
to fear and hate her. She was equally attentive to every trifle which
happened at the school, where she was daily sent to learn the art of
reading, and the use of her needle; for the moment she came home, and
before she had well entered the parlour door, and made her courtesy,
her little tongue began to rattle like a mill clack."--"Mamma, said
she, Tommy Careless was flogged for tearing his book, Jackey Fidget
because he was a naughty boy and would not sit still, Polly
Giddybrains, for losing her needle and thread paper, and, Lord bless
me! my ma'am was so cross, that she was going to put the nasty fool's
cap on _my_ head, only for miscalling the first word in my
lesson."--"In short she was such a notorious telltale, that she was
soon dignified by her school fellows with the honourable appellation of
_Dolly Cagmag_. As she advanced in years, the habit grew upon her; and
when she was old enough to be introduced into company, and go a
visiting, she carried on the same mischievous and despicable trade
abroad, in which she had met with such encouragement at home. Whatever
she saw or heard in one place, she would be sure to report it in
another; so that all the masters and misses who had the mortification
to fall into her company, considered themselves as under the malicious
inspection of a meddlesome spy; which they had the more reason to do,
because she seldom failed to embellish her informations with the
recital of several unfavourable circumstances of her own invention."
"Indeed, Mr. Wiseman, said Betsey, my youngest daughter, what you have
told us is exactly true; for I have been in company with Miss
Chatterfast several times, and I remember once in particular that when
Master _Sprightly_, who was a merry young spark, had stolen a kiss from
Miss _Patty Sweetlips_, though the poor young lady blushed as red as
scarlet, and seemed to be greatly displeased at the freedom which had
been taken with her, Miss Chatterfast was so mischievous as to
represent her to all her acquaintance as a bold little hussey, who
loved to be kissed by the young gentlemen. When poor innocent Patty was
informed of the character which had been so unjustly fixed upon her,
she was ashamed to stir out of doors, and laid it so much to heart I
thought she would have cried her eyes out." "This was very unkind
indeed, replied the good Bramin; and yet, I sincerely believe that all
the mischief her tongue was guilty of, was more owing to her vanity and
that talkative humour in which she had always been encouraged from her
infancy, than to any real malice in her heart. She had been long
accustomed to speak without thinking, and naturally imagined that her
impertinent loquacity would be as much admired and applauded by other
people as by her thoughtless parents. I have the satisfaction, however,
to observe that you are perfectly sensible of her mistake, though she
had not the good fortune to be so herself. If she had lived much
longer, it is very probable that the many slights and affronts she must
necessarily have met with, would have opened her eyes: For those who by
their impertinent censures set the whole world at defiance, may
reasonably expect to find an enemy in every house they enter. But her
meddlesome, inquisitive disposition proved to be the accidental means
of shortening her days, before she had experience enough to correct it:
for, one evening, Mr. _Kindly_, a wealthy merchant, indulged all the
young masters and misses in the neighbourhood with a splendid ball at
his own house: Miss _Chatterfast_, though she had at that time a severe
cold upon her, was so desirous of embracing such a favourable
opportunity of making her remarks upon the behaviour and different
dresses of the company, and thereby furnishing herself with an ample
stock for conversation, that she could not be prevailed upon by her too
indulgent parents to spend the evening at home. The consequence was
such as might naturally have been expected. By first over heating
herself at the ball, and afterwards exposing herself to the night air
in her return home, her cold, (which was bad enough before) suddenly
increased into a violent fever which hurried her to the grave in the
short space of five or six days. Though her untimely death excited the
transient pity of most of her acquaintance, very few of them, I
believe, were really sorry to part with her. But notwithstanding that
violent propensity to exercise her tongue, which she too frequently
indulged to the vexation of her neighbours, she had a large fund of
good nature at the bottom; so that I am in hopes that she will soon be
restored to the rank of human beings, and have an opportunity of
employing her speaking faculties with greater discretion and in a more
agreeable manner than she did before. Her former loquacity (as I have
already observed) was almost entirely owing to that vanity and want of
thought, in which she had been too much encouraged by the simple
fondness of her parents; but the low station in which she now appears,
will probably teach her to be more humble and considerate, and of
consequence to check that talkative humour which in her past lifetime
formed the most remarkable part of her character." Poor mag (who, I
suppose, understood every word the Bramin said) wagged her tail a
little, as we left the room, but did not think proper to utter a single
chatter.