i2o More Tales of the Birds 



wicked aim and flung the boot with all his 

 force at the unconscious singer. 



The song suddenly ceased ; there was the 

 crash of wood and wirework tumbling to the 

 ground, and the gutter children scrambled up 

 and made for the fallen cage. The cobbler 

 rushed out of the opposite house, snatched up 

 the boot and vanished. A woman with dis- 

 hevelled hair came tearing into the street and 

 picked up the cage. It was empty, and the 

 door was open. She glanced up, and with a 

 sigh of relief saw the Canary still safe in his 

 cage. 



The cobbler's arm had swerved ever so 

 little, and the boot had hit the wrong cage. 

 The door had come open as it reached the 

 ground, and the Linnet had escaped. The 

 woman thanked her stars that it was " the 

 ugly bird" that was gone, and so too did the 

 cobbler, now repentant, as he peered from 

 behind the door of his back-kitchen. The 

 Canary sat still and frightened on his perch, 

 and for a full hour neither sang a note nor 

 pecked a seed. 



