THE OUTLAW 125 



at the pigeons strutting and searching for 

 crumbs upon the worn paving stones. 

 He found two months continuous work to be 

 most exhausting. He still was puzzled about 

 the dead rooks. He had been to every 

 paper in London with his " rook story," 

 but no one would print it. He even got 

 laughed at as a " fake merchant " a tribute 

 to imagination, but damning as a reputation. 



Like chaff before a blast of wind the pigeons 

 scattered. His paper was rumpled by the 

 agitated draught caused by their departure. 



Looking up to the dome he saw a flock 

 of about fifty pigeons wheeling in steady 

 flight near the cross at the top. A speck 

 fell with a suddenness that reminded him 

 of a shot aeroplane : like a plunging halbert- 

 head it was; there was a puff of feathers 

 dancing and fluttering the flock scattered, 

 dived to earth, anywhere, anyhow, and the 

 dark halbert-head became outlined against 

 the sky, perched on the gilt cross that 

 glistened in the afternoon sun. 



