FRIENDSHIP IM ANIMALS 8i 



sketch, whereupon tlie swan would settle itself by her 

 side to stay contentedly with her until she finished. 

 This went on for five or six weeks till the sketchinj^ 

 was done and Miss Guinness went away on a visit. 

 Again the jx^or bird was alone and miserable until a 

 man was sent to work in the shrubbery by the lake and 

 at once the swan made a companion of him ; each morn- 

 ing it would come from the lake to meet him to spend 

 the whole day in his company. In due time the work 

 was finished and the man went away. Once more the 

 swan was miserable, and it made the lady of the house 

 unhappy to see it, so anxious appeared the bird to be 

 with her whenever she went near the lake, so distressed 

 when she left it. All at once there was a change in its 

 behaviour ; it was no longer waiting and watching for a 

 visitor to the lake-side and ready to leave the water 

 on her appearance. It now appeared quite contented 

 to be alone and would rest on the water at the same 

 spot for an hour at a time, floating motionless or else 

 propelling itself with such a slow and gentle movement 

 of its oars as to make it appear almost stationary. It 

 was an astonishing change but a welcome one, as the 

 unhappiness of the swan had begim to make everybody 

 feel bad and now it looked as if the poor bird had 

 become reconciled to a solitary' life. A little later the 

 reason of this change appeared when the extraordinary- 

 discovery was made that the swan was not alone after 

 all, that he had a friend who was constantly with him 

 — a big trout! The fish had his place at the side of 

 the bird, just below the surface, and together they would 



