A TRAGEDY IN THE MAPLE-TREE. 169 



her. As plainly as though he said it, he ex- 

 pected her to dash out after it ; but when she 

 did not, he scorned to touch it, and the neigh- 

 bors disposed of the morsel. Twice he tried 

 this manoeuvre, and both times unsuccess- 

 fully. 



While things were at this stage, I was, to my 

 great regret, obliged to be absent a few hours, 

 and when I returned the difference was nearly 

 settled ; the master was going in and out of the 

 nest freely, and the mistress was nowhere to be 

 seen. He seemed to be cleaning house, in 

 preparation for a new regime. He was bringing 

 out the feathers he had so carefully carried in, 

 and scattering them to the winds. It was curi- 

 ous to see the struggle between avarice and re- 

 venge, in the longing looks he gave them as 

 they fluttered to the ground ; sometimes the 

 temptation was irresistible, and a feather that 

 was really too nice was pursued, and returned 

 to the homestead. 



Twice during this performance the hen came 

 back for a moment and perched on the end of 

 a branch three feet from her late residence, but 

 he flew at her fiercely, and she at once left. It 

 did not seem that she was kept away by force, 

 but she had the air of thinking " the game not 

 worth the candle." She appeared not the least 

 angry, nor even cast down, nor a feather ruf- 



