28 More Tales of the Birds 



watched for his coming out again, and listened 

 to the chattering that was going on in the 

 nest. She could just see his tail, and the bright 

 white patch above it, as he clung to the door 

 of his nest up there under the eaves. Pres- 

 ently he came out, and then she watched for 

 his return ; and soon, so constant was the 

 hovering and chattering, that Aunt Charlotte, 

 and the gardener, and fairyland itself, were all 

 forgotten, and she began, after her own odd 

 fashion, to talk to the Martins in a dreamy 

 way. 



" What busy people you are ! " she said, very 

 softly, so as not to disturb them : "how tired you 

 must get, fussing about like that all day long ! 

 Fancy if my mother had to run round the garden 

 twenty times before giving me anything to eat! 

 That would be more in Aunt Charlotte's way, 

 wouldn't it ? I won't get the boiling water to- 

 day, or at least I'll spill it. You look very 

 happy, gossiping away all day, with a nest full 

 of young to look after ; anyhow it's lucky for 

 you that you can't be caught, and have boiling 

 water poured on you. She'd do it if she could, 



