was Put out to Nurse 
carrying something, a something that 
fluttered feebly, and poor little Bobby 
was never seen again ; while the weasel 
family in the old stump in the corner of 
the field looked particularly contented 
that afternoon. 
All these: domestic troubles had a 
@reat cifect on Mrs. Cuckoo's nerves. 
She said she really hadn’t been brought 
uprto such-things ; that in her state of 
health it was cruel to expect her to look 
after a family without any assistance. 
She knew that everything would be left 
to her—and in that she was about right, 
for her husband was far too greedy and 
lazy to look after anybody but himself. 
Finally she decided on going to see if 
shecould persuade AnnHedge-sparrow— 
‘really a most respectable, hard-working 
bird, you know’—to give her some help 
205 
