Se/inas Starling 189 



It was a warm April day, and she was sitting 

 without a fire ; only in the kitchen was there a 

 little bit of coal smouldering, to be woke up into 

 life presently when it should be tea-time. She 

 went and examined the grate ; a few fragments of 

 half- burnt stone had come down, and, as she 

 looked, another bit and another fell with a rattle 

 into the fender. Then there was a scuffle and a 

 beating of wings ; and a young starling suddenly 

 shot down into the room, made straight for the 

 window, banged himself against it, and fell to the 

 ground. 



Selina picked it up ; it was only stunned, 

 and soon revived in her hands. She took it 

 gently, and put it into an old cage which lay 

 among the lumber of the yard, brought the 

 cage in again, set it on the table, and resumed 

 her reading. It was the book of Ruth ; and 

 the first name she came to was Elimelech 

 and Elimelech, she thought, would make a 

 good name for her visitor. All the rest of the 

 day she tended her starling, which had come 

 to her in this strange way just when she 

 needed something better in the house to keep 



