to drag me here. I would much rather have remained in
Italy, even if I had never got married."

"Don't talk nonsense, wife," said he. "You wanted to come here just as
much as I did. This is where we were born and where our home is and
where we had to build our nest. We can't help it; it's in our blood.
Besides, we have had a very good time, and have shared each other's
joys and sorrows. Don't let us squabble now in our old age, but rather
see that we get the children's travelling-suits ready and then be off."

Then she became sensible and they sat late into the night and talked
about it. The youngsters ran round in the grass and ate ants and thought
the whole thing great fun, for children know no better. Only the fifth
one hung about disconsolately.

"What are we to do with the poor little wretch?" said Mrs. Reed-Warbler,
pushing a mouthful to him.

"We shall never get him to Italy alive," said her husband.

Quite early next morning there was a tremendous uproar round the pond.

Men shouted and dogs barked. They put out the boat and rowed her with
difficulty through the thick weeds. The woman of the pond stood outside
her cottage, curtseying and pouring out tea.

"Whatever is this?" asked the reed-warbler.

"It's the world coming to an end," said the duck. "Quack! Quack! Quack!"

"To the bottom! To the bottom!" said the eel. "Wriggle and twist!"

The terrified reed-warbler family pressed close together in the grass.
But then the two old ones grew inquisitive and could not keep still.
They warned the youngsters to stay quiet, whatever happened, and sat
down, a little way from each other, on the tops of the reeds beside the
clearing.

"Bang! Bang!" went the guns over the pond. "Bang! Bang! Bang!"

And there were lots of ducks quacking and lots of small birds who flew
out of their hiding-places in terror. Great ugly dogs, with their
tongues hanging out of their mouths, swam round and barked. The leaves
of the water-lily dived right under the water and the spear-wort
disappeared entirely and never came back again.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

"There lies our duck," said the reed-warbler.

And there she lay on her back, dead, only waiting for the dogs to come
and fetch her.

"Bang! Bang!"

"I must get away, I can stand it no longer," said Mrs. Reed-Warbler.
"Let us fly back to the children."

She received no answer and, when she looked round, her husband was gone.

She stared at the reed on which he had been