l for you to know."

"What are they?" asked the Fowler.

"Well," said the Quail, "I don't mind telling you three of them now. The
first is: Fast caught, fast keep; never let a thing go when once you
have got it. The second is: He is a fool that believes everything he
hears. And the third is this: It's of no use crying over spilt milk."

The Fowler thought these very sensible maxims. "And what is the fourth?"
he asked.

"Ah," said the Quail, "you must set me free if you want to hear the
fourth."

The Fowler, who was a simple fellow, set the Quail free. The Quail
fluttered up into a tree, and said--

"I see you take no notice of what I tell you. Fast caught, fast keep, I
said; and yet you have let me go."

"Why, so I have," said the Fowler, and scratched his head. He was a
foolish Fowler, I think. "Well, never mind; what is the fourth thing?
You promised to tell me, and I am sure an honourable Quail will never
break his word."

"The fourth thing I have to tell you is this: In my inside is a
beautiful diamond, weighing ten pounds. And if you had not let me go,
you would have had that diamond, and you need never have done any more
work in all your life."

"Oh dear, oh dear, what a fool I am!" cried the Fowler. He fell on his
face, and clutched at the grass, and began to cry.

"Ha, ha, ha!" laughed the Quail. "He is a fool who believes everything
he hears."

"Eh? what?" said the Fowler, and stopped crying.

"Do you think a little carcase like mine can hold a diamond as big as
your head?" asked the Quail, roaring with laughter. "And even if it were
true, where's the use of crying over spilt milk?"

The Quail spread his wings. "Good-bye," said he; "better luck next time,
Fowler." And he flew away.

The Fowler sat up. "Well," said he, "that's true,
sure enough." He got up and brushed the mud off
his clothes. "If I have lost a Quail," said he,
"I've learnt something." And he went
home, a sadder but a
wiser man.

[Illustration]

The King of the Kites

A MOUSE one day met a Frog, whom he knew very well; but the Frog turned
up his flat nose, and would not speak to him.

"Friend Frog," said the Mouse, "why are you so proud to-day?"

"Because I am King of the Kites," said Froggie.

You must not suppose that this means a paper kite with a tail. There is
a kind of bird called a Kite; it is like a Hawk, only bigger. How absurd
it was of th