214 More Tales of the Birds 



to hear 'em whistling, in their proper place! 

 There's a place for everything, as the Scripture 

 says, and the garden's no place for thieves ; so 

 we thinks down here, Sir, and if 'tis different 

 where you come from, there's no call for me to 

 be argufying about it. We'll let 'em be, Sir, 

 we'll let 'em be. I hope I knows my place." 



" Better than the birds, eh, Joseph," said the 

 mollified Poet. Joseph resumed his digging, 

 and, as the newspapers say, the incident was 

 closed. 



Later in the morning the Parson dropped in 

 to see his new parishioner, and was told of 

 Mr. Bates's loquacity. 



" Well, well," he said, "old Joseph is an oddity, 

 and you must take him as you find him. But 

 he's quite right about the birds. They simply 

 swarm here : the rooks and sparrows take your 

 young peas, the bullfinches nip off your tender 

 buds, and the blackbirds and thrushes won't leave 

 you a currant or a gooseberry to make your jam 

 of." Bessie looked up from her work with a 

 face of alarm. 



"You ask my wife," continued the Parson. 



