A Tale of Two Martins 
too much accustomed to the coarse and 
uncouth noises of the unsavoury streets 
in which she had spent her whole life to 
be able to appreciate the music of their 
happy voices. Her idea of music was a 
rattling rowdy music-hall tune, thumped 
and banged on the cheap piano in the 
parlour, purchased on the instalment 
system ; but she ‘ didn’t think nothink of 
them dirty swallers, dropping mud all 
over the window-sills ; she wasn’t going 
to have them about her place, that she 
wasn't.’ 
The poor martins were inconsolable, 
and for days they had no enjoyment in 
anything ; then they turned to and began 
to build again. They thought there 
must be some mistake ; it couldn’t have 
been done on purpose ; such a thing had 
never happened to them before. But 
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