Too Much of a Good Tking 237 



moult, and to leave the garden to the mercy of 

 the grubs and wasps ; when August came they 

 might perhaps return to see how far wilful 

 Man was having his own way. 



Mid- August arrived, with its gentle indica- 

 tions of approaching autumn, its deepening 

 colours and grey dewy mornings. The rowan- 

 berries were turning a rich red, and Bessie 

 longed for the Poet's coming that he might fill 

 his eyes with this last glory of the garden be- 

 fore the autumn set in. The nets had been 

 long removed from the bushes, and the birds 

 were beginning to return to the garden and 

 resume their duties as grub-eatersnay, some 

 of them were even breaking out again into 

 song. The only drawback to their happiness 

 was the arrival of two nephews of the Poel 

 for their holidays, who prowled about the gar- 

 den with an air-gun, letting fly little leaden 

 bullets at the birds with very uncertain aim. 



These boys, thus employed the Poet found 

 on his return, and strictly enjoined to restrict 

 their sport to such cornfields as they might 

 find to be the especial prey of the omnivorous 



