thinking of going home. The trunks o' the trees are
reddening, which tells us the sun's slantin'; and these little shavers
must be fed and bedded before sundown. Come, musters, rouse
yourselves; we must be steppin' Northbourne way!'

Picking up the shivering, quaking mites in their cotton-wool wrappings,
Jerry lodged them in his several pockets and even in his cap. But he
firmly refused to suffer the two boys to share his burdens.

'We can't be too keerful for the first day or so after takin' of 'em
out of the nest; so you leave 'em to me,' he persisted; and presently
the trio were trudging on their way back to Northbourne village.

CHAPTER XIII

IN PERIL ON THE SEA

While Alick Carnegy was absent, enjoying his forbidden pleasure in
Brattlesby Woods with Jerry Blunt, the bird-trainer, and Ned Dempster,
strange things were happening in the quiet little bay at home--things
that will be talked of for years to come in the long winter nights,
when the fisher-wives sit mending their husband's nets round the
peat-fires, and the children crowd close to listen with all their ears
to the story.

'The Theodora,' the boat belonging to the Bunk, had been getting out of
repair for some time back. At first the young folk--even Theo
herself--being a happy-go-lucky, reckless set in most things,
disregarded the leak, never dreaming it to be a serious one, and
laughed at their wet feet; for who ever heard of salt water hurting
anybody? It is just, however, those neglected little things, evils
that are suffered to go on, which increase sometimes, with a sudden
rush, into big mischiefs. That week Theodora, who had not been in the
boat for a few days, was struck afresh with the damage; she saw that it
was high time something should be done to mend matters, if only for the
sake of keeping dry feet. She therefore gave Ned Dempster a few
directions how to remedy the leak. Of course Ned, being a born
fisher-lad, was quite capable of doing the piece of work in his spare
moments. This Theo knew. But, unfortunately, her orders, and
everything else as well, went clean out of Ned's head, owing to the
excitement he had imbibed from Alick about the expedition to Brattlesby
Woods after the finches.

When Theo and Queenie, consequently, got into the boat in the afternoon
to pull across to the little birthday festival at the Vicarage, they
speedily found, to their discomfort, but by no means to their dismay,
that the leak was cons