he was not
there. The only possible place was in a large old medlar-tree which
stood in the middle of the grass plot, with a wooden bench and table
under it. It was nearly bare of leaves now, and a few sparrows were
hopping about in its branches. Ambrose turned his eyes to the roof of a
barn which ran along one side of the garden.

"P'r'aps he's flown over into the farm-yard," he said.

"I sent there early this morning," replied the doctor dejectedly, "and
no one had seen the bird."

Big and learned as he was, he looked so cast, down that Ambrose forgot
that he had ever been afraid of him, and only desired to give him
comfort and help.

"Does he know the garden well?" he asked.

Dr Budge nodded. "His cage has often hung in the medlar-tree in the
summer," he said, "when I've been sitting out here."

"Let's hang it there now," said Ambrose, "and p'r'aps if he gets hungry
he'll come back to where he's been fed."

The doctor seemed a little cheered by this suggestion, and with
Ambrose's help the cage was soon fixed in a good position in the
medlar-tree, where the jackdaw could not fail to see it if he came back.
All his favourite delicacies in the shape of food were then placed in
it, and by this time it was long past Ambrose's usual hour for going
home.

As they said good-bye, Dr Budge's eyes rested on him with a new
expression. Ambrose felt sure he would never mistake him for David
again, and would have confidence in his opinion for the future, at any
rate about jackdaws. All the way home his mind was busy with plans for
getting back the lost bird.

CHAPTER TEN.

A FRIEND IN NEED.

Ambrose told the story of the doctor's jackdaw at dinner-time to Miss
Grey, Nancy, and David, who were all very much interested. The two
latter began at once to recall memories of all the jackdaws who had
lived at the Vicarage.

"Do you remember the one which flew away in the gale?" said Nancy.
"David doesn't, of course. The wind blew the roof right off his house
in the night, and we never saw him again."

"The next one was the one which swallowed a thimble," said David--"and
died. And then mother said we mustn't have any more jackdaws. I
remember that one."

"No," corrected Nancy, "that wasn't the next. The next was the one
which got away for three days, and then the postman brought it back.
Then came the one that swallowed the thimble, and then, the day after
mother had said we were not to have another there