THE BULLFINCH 135 



j)rison was ahvays open, and it took advantage of this to 

 roam about the room, ever humming or singing. Some- 

 times it wouhl perch on the pole of my bed-curtain, 

 or it woukl settle near the window, veiv inquisitive as 

 to what was going on outside. There, in the muddv, 

 snowy street, a peasant would pass bv, beating the pa- 

 vement with his wooden shoes, or else a cart would 

 drive past our house, splashing our window-panes with 

 mud, and we could distinguish two or three peasant- 

 women between the stave -sides of the cart, squatting 

 under their blue cotton umbrellas; or else, school-children 

 would rush out of school, making a great noise and 

 splashing in the muddy puddles of water. The bullfinch 

 would considei- all this with pretty hitchings of its head, 

 and at times it would particularly express its interest by 

 some light sounds : twi ! twi ! twi ! Sometimes too, when 

 1 was completely absorbed in my reading, it would flutter 

 about me and finally alight on my head, where it seemed 

 to take great pleasure in disarranging my haii-. 



In the evening 1 went out generally for my dinnei' and 

 usually came home rather late. As soon as the bullfinch 

 heard me open the door, it would wake uj) and was always 

 sure to welcome me by a sweet chirping. This seemed 

 almost to be a soit of friendly reproacli for having left 

 it alone and ha\ ing renuiined out so lale. Tlicii. having 

 I'altled out all its gi-ief and sadness, it ^^(^.d(l put its heati 

 undei- its wing; I undressed and nvc i)olli fell soundl}' 



