44 More Tales of the Birds 



hurry to lay her eggs, and we were working 

 like bees, when out came the sun, and shone 

 day after day without a cloud to hide him, and 

 all the moisture dried up in the roads, and our 

 foundations cracked and crumbled, because we 

 could get no fresh mud to finish the work with. 

 We made long journeys to the pond in the next 

 village and to the river bank, but it was soon 

 all no good ; the mud dried in our very mouths 

 and would not stick, and before long there was 

 nothing soft even on the edge of pond or river 

 nothing but hard-baked clay, split into great 

 slits by the heat." 



"Why, we could have watered the road for 

 you, if we had known," said Gwenny. 



" Yes, my dear, to be sure ; but then you 

 never do know, you see. We know a good 

 deal about you, living as we do on your houses ; 

 we know when you get up (and very late it is) 

 and when you go to bed, and a great deal more 

 that you would never expect us to know ; but 

 you know very little about us, or I should not 

 be telling you this long story. Of course you 

 might know, if you thought it worth while ; but 



