who, too happy to keep still had flown 

 to the gable at the extremity of the 

 ridge-pole of the house, and after a 

 gush of song, to express his happiness 

 was jerking himself along the ridge 

 pole in a truly funny fashion. From 

 thence he flew into the lower branches 

 of a neighboring tree, singing and 

 chattering, and whisking himself in 

 and out of the foliage : then back to 

 the roof again, and from roof to tree. 



" I know what makes him so happy,'' 

 announced Henry, who, standing upon 

 a chair, had peeped into the nest. 

 " There's a dear little egg in here. 

 Hurrah for Mrs. Wren ! " 



" Do not touch it," commanded 

 mamma, "but each one of us will take 

 a peep in turn." 



Mrs. Wren's bead like eyes had taken 

 in the whole proceeding, and with 

 fluttering wings she stood on a shrub 

 level with the porch and gave voice 

 to her motherly anxiety and anger. 



'''•Dee, dee, dee^'' she shrilly cried, 

 fluttering her little wings, which in 

 bird language means, " oh dear, oh 

 dear, what shall I do ? " 



Her cries of distress were heard by 

 Mr. Wren, and with all haste he flew 

 down beside her. 



" What is it ? " cried he, very nearly 

 out of breath from his late exertions. 

 " Has that rascally Mr. Jay " 



"No, no!" she interrupted, wringing 

 her sharp little toes, "Its not Mr. Jay 

 this time, Mr. Wren. It's the family 

 over there, «ur family, robbing our 

 nest of its one little egg^'' 



"Pooh! nonsense !" coolly said Mr. 

 Wren, taking one long breath of relief. 

 " Why, my dear, you nearly frighten 

 me to death. You know, or ought to 



know by this time, that our landlord's 

 family have been taught not to do such 

 things. Besides you yourself admit 

 them to be exceptionally good children 

 and good children never rob nests. 

 Fie, I'm ashamed of you. Really my 

 heart flew to my bill when I heard 

 your call of distress." 



Mrs. Wren, whose fears were quite 

 allayed by this time, looked at her 

 mate scornfully. 



" Oh ! " said she, with fine sarcasm, 

 " your heart flew into your bill did it? 

 Well, let me say, Mr. Wren, that if it 

 had been my mother in distress, father 

 at the first note of warning, would 

 have flown to her assistance with his 

 heart in his claws. He kept them well 

 sharpened for just such occasions, and 

 woe to any enemy he found prowling 

 about his premises." 



"Oh, indeed!" said Mr. Wren, "I 

 presume he would have attacked Bridget 

 over there, and the whole family. To 

 hear you talk, Mrs. Wren, one would 

 think your father was a whole host in 

 himself." 



" And so he was," said she, loftily, 

 " I have seen him attack a Bluebird 

 and a Martin at the same time and put 

 them both to flight. An Owl had no 

 terrors for him, and as for squirrels, 



why " Mrs. Wren raised her 



wings and shrugged her shoulders in a 

 very Frenchy and wholly contempt- 

 uous manner. 



" I'm a peace-loving sort of a fellow, 

 that you know, Mrs. Wren, deploring 

 the reputation our tribe has so justly 

 earned for fighting, and scolding, and 

 jeering at everything and every- 

 body. Indeed they go so far as to say 

 we trust no one, not even our kindred. 



78 



