The Sorrows of a House Martin 27 



always carefully killed, to the great delight of 

 the boys, by pouring boiling water on them, 

 and she had more than once sent Gwenny to 

 the kitchen to fetch a kettle for this purpose. 

 Gwenny secretly determined to rebel if such 

 were her lot this afternoon ; for how could 

 there be fairyland in the garden if all the 

 animals were killed? And every minute she 

 was expecting to hear the latch of the gate 

 lifted, and the quick decided step of her aunt 

 coming up the garden path. 



Several times as she sat there a quick 

 shadow had passed over the white page of her 

 book, but she did not notice it, nor did she 

 heed a continuous quiet chatter that was going 

 on over her head. At last, just as she happened 

 to turn to the page on which is the picture of 

 the Duchess carrying the pig-baby, the shadow 

 hovered for a moment and darkened the leaf, so 

 that she looked up with a little frown on her face. 



" Everything teases me this afternoon ! " she 

 exclaimed. But the House Martin, whose 

 shadow had disturbed her, had flown into his 

 nest with food for his young ones. Gwenny 



