Page:The Aborigines of Victoria and Riverina.djvu/158

153 When Dame Courtenie saw her simple victim of old so contentedly sitting beneath a bushy tree, the dense foliage of which kept the chill, biting winds at a respectable distance. She immediately divined that poor Kurwie was contentedly engaged hatching another brood. This being apparently so. the wicked old bird set her cunning wits to work at once to turn the circumstance to some malicious account. Accordingly, with much pretended meekness, she approached the sitting Kurwie, saying, "Ah, my dear Kurwie, I am so overjoyed to meet you again; it does seem quite an age since we last forgathered. Where have you been all the while? Surely you have not avoided me purposely?" Indeed, then, dame Courtenie, that is just what I have done; and now that you are here I do not wish to have anything to say to you at all, your absence I assure you is appreciated infinitely more than your abominable presence, therefore, if it be all the same to you, you had better take yourself off at once. You're a vile old bird, and should not be allowed to come near any bird, or beast either, for that matter, that has the slightest pretensions to respectability."

"Poor old thing" rejoined the Courtenie, "I believe you are in a passion. What, have you not forgotten the little cheepers yet, that you so properly knocked on the head, by my advice, last season? Well to be sure, now after that conduct nothing can astonish me. Certainly gratitude does not seem to be a failing of yours, but it serves me right, and just shows the folly of throwing away good advice on fools; however, I shall be more careful in future."

The Kurwie, being a bird of long suffering, could upon