158 More Tales of the Birds 



that soft kind of single ladies who think all boys 

 angels not she ! But, bless her old soul ! the 

 Jackdaw, as Nelly and I used to call her, because 

 of her grey head and her black dress and her 

 pecking way the Jackdaw was nearly as lucky 

 a bird for me as the magpie in the long run, 

 that is. 



"She told me she wanted a boy to look after 

 her pony and carriage, and as I was recom- 

 mended by the Vicar, and was strong and active, 

 she would offer me the place. But I wasn't 

 to climb trees, and I wasn't to spin halfpence, 

 and I wasn't to do this, and I wasn't to do that, 

 and lastly, I wasn't to keep animals about the 

 house. 'Mind, 'she said, shaking her nose and 

 her forefinger at the same time, ' I allow no pet 

 animals about this house, so if you take my offer 

 you must give up your rabbits.' 



" ' Yes, ma'am,' says I, though I hadn't any ; 

 but her nose was so tight when she said that, 

 that I knew I had better hold my tongue. 



" Then she took me through her garden, 

 making me pull up some weeds by the way, 

 and lay them neatly in a heap in a corner, 



