“One did go away, and he came back nearly dead with hunger. But he is all right now, aren’t you, dear?” And the bird cawed, and rubbed its black head against its mistress’ cheek. “Poor little things, they fell out of the nest before they could fly, and I brought them up. But you don’t care for pets, do you, John?”
“I don’t like birds!”
“Don’t like birds! Why, that seems as strange as if you said that you didn’t like flowers.”
“Mrs Norton told me, sir, that you would like to speak to me about them cottages on the Erringham Farm,” said the bailiff.
“Yes, yes, I must go over and see them to-morrow morning at ten o’clock. I intend to go thoroughly into everything. How are they getting on with the cottages that were burnt down?”
“Rather slow, sir, the weather is so bad.”
“But talking of f
