THE PET FINCHES. 
811 
stomacli tlie half-digested food for my benefit, precisely in 
tlie manner of feeding young birds. 
But I did not like this sort of relationship very much, and 
determined to break it down, and forthwith commenced by 
coldly refusing to be fed, and as fast as I could bring my 
hard heart to do it, breaking down all the gentle bonds be- 
tween us. 
The result was sad enough. The poor fellow could not 
bear it — ^he sat in wondering grief — he would not eat ; at 
night I took him in my hand and held him to my cheek — 
he nestled closely and seemed more happy, although his lit- 
tle heart was too full to let him speak. In tlie morning I 
scarcely answered his tender love-call, " Come-e-here" — but 
I sat down to my drawing, thinking if I could be so cold 
much longer to so gentle and uncomplaining a creature. 
I presently arose and went to the cage. Oh ! my poor, 
poor bird ! he lay struggling on the floor ! I took him out — 
I tried to call him back to life in every way that I knew, but 
it was useless, I saw he was dying, his little frame was even 
then growing cold within my warm palm. I uttered the 
call he knew so well, he threw back his head, with its yet 
undimmed eye, and tried to answer — the effort was made 
with his last breath. His eje glazed as I gazed, and his atti- 
tude was never changed ! His little heart was broken. I 
can never forgive myself for my cruelty ! Oh, to kill so 
gentle and pure a love as that ! 
And now I have left me only the little Painted Finch. He 
has given up his propensity for quarrelling, and has thrown 
off the greater part of his proud shy ways — he is still most es- 
sentially a Southerner. He is as exclusive and fastidious as 
the knowledge of good blood and delicate breeding can make 
him. He has everfelt himself an exile, and has come to con- 
sider his cage as his House of Eefuge. He seems not at all 
to desire to leave it, although I frequently invite him out. 
He without doubt remembers the orange groves of his na- 
tive land with all the intense devotion of a true Southerner. 
