1 82 More Tales of the Birds 



house, feeling rather queer and faint, and had 

 been put on the sofa in the drawing-room, in 

 came the neat maidservant and said that the 

 constable was at the door. And when I heard 

 that, I went straight off into a downright 

 faint. 



" When I woke up I was still on the sofa, 

 the neat-faced clock was ticking, there were 

 steps on the gravel path in the garden, Miss 

 Pringle was sitting there looking very sad, and 

 there were tears in her eyes, and I thought for 

 a moment that that dreadful hour had never 

 come to an end after all. 



" But there was no policeman ; and who was 

 this sitting by my side? Why, it was dear old 

 Nelly ! And as she laid her head against mine, 

 with all that hair of hers tumbling over my face, 

 that kind gentleman came into the room from 

 the garden, where he had been trying to quiet 

 himself down a bit, I think, and patted both our 

 heads, without saying ever a word. 



" After a bit, however, he made us sit up, 

 and gave us a good talking to. It was not 

 Mag's fault, he said, that we had got into such 



