42 More Tales of the Birds 



" Well, I don't know," said Gwenny. " I 

 don't much mind staying in bed, especially in 

 an east wind, because then Aunt Charlotte 

 stops at home, and can't " 



" Never mind Aunt Charlotte," said the 

 Martin. " She'll be here directly, and you 

 mustn't say unkind things of her. I can feel 

 with her, poor thing, if she lives on snails like 

 the thrushes, and can't catch them in an east 

 wind." 



Gwenny was about to explain, but the Martin 

 said " Hush! " and went on with his tale, for he 

 was aware that it was getting rather long, and 

 that Aunt Charlotte might be expected at any 

 moment. 



"At last the east wind went, and then for a 

 while we had better luck. Rain fell, and the 

 roads became muddy, and we set to work to 

 rebuild our nest. For you must know that it 

 was one of our bits of bad luck this year that 

 our dear old nest had been quite destroyed when 

 we returned, and instead of creeping into it to 

 roost during that terrible east wind, as we like 

 to do, we had to find some other hole or corner 



