What the Blackbird said

The Rook then shut his learned beak, and opened and spread his wide black wings, and slowly sailed away, leaving the Blackbird and the Robin to meditate on all that he had been telling them. At last the Robin broke silence with "Have you breakfasted?"

"Yes, I have," replied the Blackbird, "on a few poor ivy-berries, but I'm still rather hungry."

"Then come with me," said the Robin, "and you shall soon have a right good feast." Off the birds flew, and swiftly passed over one or two snow-covered fields, and then by a long avenue of lime-trees. They came at last to a level lawn, at the end of which stood an old gabled mansion, built of gray stone; ivy climbed round the pillars of an arcade at the east end of the house, and ivy covered the west corner. The time-stained gables, surmounted by round stone balls, stood out in the sunshine, and the dark tiles of the roof peeped out here and there from their snowy covering. The two friends