"You ought to appreciate me, at any rate!" he said, when she was sufficiently recovered for him to speak to her. "The way I feed you and sing to you! Think what other husbands are like." "So I do," she replied. CHAPTER III A Mother [Illustration] Time passed and all respectable bird-wives were sitting on their eggs and wearing a serious look in their eyes, while their husbands went hunting for flies or sang to them. It was the same at the Reed-Warblers'. But there was no denying that the husband was sometimes a little tired and cross. Then he would reflect upon the easy time which the Eel husband had and the Frog husband and the Perch husband and all the others. One evening he sat in the nest and sang: Now spring is here, to God all praise! Though in hard work I'm up to the eyes. For billing and cooing I'd just seven days; Now I've to flutter about after flies For my little wife, who our eggs is hatching; And don't those flies just take some catching! And each chick will want food for the good of its voice. Aha, I have every right to rejoice! "If you're tired of it, why did you do it?" said little Mrs. Reed-Warbler. "You took pains enough to curry favour with me at first. How smart you used to look. I believe you're already beginning to lose your colouring." "It's weary work," he said. "When a fellow has to go after flies like this, in all weathers, his wedding-finery soon wears out." "I don't think you're singing as nicely as you did," said she. "Really? Well, I can just as easily stop. It's for your sake that I pipe my tune. Besides, you can see for yourself that I'm only joking. I'm tremendously glad of the children. It will be an honour and a pleasure to me to stuff them till they burst. Perhaps we might have been satisfied with three." "You ought to be ashamed of yourself!" she said. "So I am, dear, because of the other two. But, as I don't know which two those are, it makes no difference." She put on a very serious face. But he caught a fat fly that was passing, popped it into her mouth and struck up so pretty a trill that she fell quite in love with him again. [Illustration] At that moment a deep sigh rose from the water under the bank. "That came from a mother," said Mrs. Reed-Warbler. "I could hear that plainly." "That's what it did," said a hoarse voice. The Reed-Warblers peeped down and beheld a cray-fish, who sat in the mud staring with her stalked eyes. "Dear me, is that you, Goody Cray-Fish?" said Mrs. Reed-Warbler. "It is indeed, dear madam," said the cray-fish. "It's myself and no other. I was just sitting down here in my dirt listening to what the quality were saying. Heavens, what a good time a fine lady like you enjoys, compared with another!" "Every one has his burden," said Mrs. Reed-Warbler. "Believe me, it's no joke sitting here and perspiring." The cray-fish crossed her eyes and folded her antennæ.