224 NATURE IN DOWNLAND 



accustomed to hand over a sum of twenty shillings 

 to his wife every Saturday for housekeeping. There 

 were nine children to keep, and to make the most of 

 her money she used to go on Saturday afternoon to 

 the nearest town, six miles distant, to purchase the 

 week's provisions and groceries and anything else that 

 was required. Two or three of the biggest children 

 would accompany her to help her with the basket 

 on their return. Now it fell out that on a certain 

 Saturday she had all her money in one coin, a gold 

 sovereign, and this she placed on the kitchen-dresser 

 while putting her things on; but in a few minutes, 

 when she was ready to start, the money was gone. 

 Naturally the whole house was thrown into the 

 greatest trouble and excitement, and immediately 

 every one began hunting in every likely and unlikely 

 place for the missing sovereign, for now the poor dis- 

 tracted woman began to think that she could not 

 have put it on the dresser after all. But it could not 

 be found, and when hope was gone she could not 

 restrain her tears ; and the children, seeing her crying, 

 realised that there would be no exciting visit to the 

 town, no Saturday afternoon sweeties, nor any good 

 things in the house, but a long, long week of want 

 before them, and they too burst out crying. It was 

 then that the eldest girl all at once thought of the pet 

 magpie they kept, and of its love of mischief; and, 

 jumping up, she ran to the open cage which served 

 the bird as a roosting-place by night, and which he 



