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70 them so shy. She said a great deal to him about the cruelties which that naughty boy had boasted of the evening before, which Frederick promised to remember.

As soon as they arrived at the house, Lucy ran out to receive them, but her brother had gone to school.

"We are come, my dear Lucy," said Harriet, "to fetch the birds you promised us."

"Oh, I know not what to say to you, my dear," said Lucy. "I have very bad news to tell you, and I fear you will blame me exceedingly, though not more than I blame myself. I heartily wish I had returned home immediately after the kind lecture your mamma favoured me with yesterday which showed me the cruelty of my behaviour, though I was then ashamed to own it. I walked as fast as I could all the way from your house, and determined to give each of the little creatures a good supper, for which purpose I had an egg boiled and nicely chopped; I mixed up some bread and water very smooth, and put a little seed with the chopped egg amongst it, and then carried it to the room where I left the nests. But what was my concern when I found that my care was too late for the greatest part of them! Every sparrow