“Mama,” said Emily, “I was so much interested in the story of Ellen
Ross, that I quite forgot to claim your promise of telling us all you
remember about the young birds of last summer; but we have both settled
that we cannot let you off this evening, so pray, pray begin.”
“Well, then, I recollect that we were all sitting under the great
pear-tree. I was plaiting rush baskets for you, and you and Edwin were
picking out the longest and greenest rushes for me to use; when all at
once we saw pussy run in a great hurry across the lawn with something
in her mouth; and then we saw two pretty goldfinches flying over her
head, and uttering the most distressed cries as if to beg her to spare
their little one--for it was a young goldfinch, which she held so tight
in her mouth. We ran after her, but she hid herself in the thickest
part of the shrubbery; and long before we could scramble through, the
little goldfinch had been quite eaten up, and but one or two shining
yellow feathers left on the ground. Well, we returned sadly to our
seat, but just as I was beginning to work at the basket again, we saw
naughty pussy creeping softly, softly back again towards the part
of the garden from which we had first seen her come with the little
bird in her mouth; and then the same pair of old goldfinches began to
fly round and round above her head, uttering their plaintive cry. We
ran to the spot, and when puss saw that we got there before her, she
skulked back with a disappointed growl, and we soon found two sweet
little young birds sitting close together on the border, their feathers
shivering from fright. Part of their nest lay by them as if it had been
blown down by the wind, and they had fallen with it before they were
strong enough to fly. We knew, that if we left them, sly pussy would
come back the moment she saw she was not watched, and mop them up as
she had already mopped up their poor little brother. So we made them as
warm a nest as we could of wool and feathers. Emily ran into the house
for an empty cage, and we shut the little creatures in it, and set it
at the open window of the drawing-room.”
“And do you recollect your delight when first you saw that the old
birds had found them out?”
_Emily._--“Yes, yes, mama; at first they perched on the top of the
plane-tree opposite; then by degrees they fluttered down from branch
to branch, lower and lower, calling their young ones all the time.
Then they took little short flights towards the window, and back again
to the plane-tree. Then they first rested a moment on the branches of
sweet briar which waved before the window, then on the cage; and at
last--O how nice that was! they grew quite, quite bold, and ventured
backwards and forwards into the room even when we were sitting in it,
and fed their little ones with flies and seeds, chirping all the time
they fed them, amusing them with a pretty song when they had done.”
“Now, my children, it is bed-time.--Why, I declare poor Charlie is
fast asleep in my lap, and I quite forgot my own sweet nestling while
we were talking about the little birds. To-morrow you are to spend
with the Stanleys, but the next evening, if you are in the humour for
it, I will remind you of our prettiest pets of all--the golden-crested
wrens.”