"'No,' she says, 'you must go, it might be a man.'
"'No,' I says, 'it ain't nothing of such consekince as that. It's only
an old woman come to borrow some castor oil.'
"So she went and bimeby comes back and says: 'It's a man that's called
to see you an' it's very important.'
"'Tell him I'm in bed,' says I, 'and can't get up till six o'clock.'
"Well, after a lot of grumbling, she went again, then came back and
says the man won't go away till he seen me, as it's very important.
'Something about a bird,' she says.
"'A bird!' I says, 'what d'you mean by a bird?'
"'A rook!' she says.
"'A rook!' says I. 'Is he a madman, or what?'
"'He's a man at the door,' she says, 'an' he won't go away till he sees
you, so you'd better git up and see him.'
"'All right, old woman,' I says, 'I'll git up as you say I must, and
I'll smash him. Get me something to put on,' I says.
"'No,' she says, 'don't smash him'; and she give me something to put on,
weskit and trousers, so I put on the weskit and got one foot in a
slipper, and went out to him with the trousers in my hand. And there he
was at the door, sure enough, a tramp!
"'Now, my man,' says I, very severe-like, 'what's this something
important you've got me out of bed at four of the morning for? Is it
the end of the world, or what?'
"He looked at me quite calm and said it was something important but not
that - not the end of the world. 'I'm sorry to disturb you,' he says,
'but women don't understand things properly,' he says, 'an' I always
think it best to speak to a man.'
"'That's all very well,' I says, 'but how long do you intend to keep me
here with nothing but this on?'
"'I'm just coming to it,' he says, not a bit put out. 'It's like this,'
he says. 'I'm from the north - Newcastle way - an' on my way to
Dorchester, looking for work,' he says.
"'Yes, I see you are!' says I, looking him up and down, fierce-like.
"'Last evening,' he says, 'I come to a wood about a mile from this 'ere
village, and I says to myself, "I'll stay here and go on in the
morning." So I began looking about and found some fern and cut an
armful and made a bed under a oak-tree. I slep' there till about three
this morning. When I opened my eyes, what should I see but a bird
sitting on the ground close to me? I no sooner see it than I says to
myself, "That bird is as good as a breakfast," I says. So I just put
out my hand and copped it. And here it is!' And out he pulled a bird
from under his coat.
"'That's a young jackdaw,' I says.
"'You may call it a jackdaw if you like,' says he; 'but what I want you
to understand is that it ain't no ornary bird. It's a bird,' he says,
'that'll do you hansom and you'll be proud to have, and I've called
here to make you a present of it. All I want is a bit of bread, a pinch
of tea, and some sugar to make my breakfast in an hour's time when I
git to some cottage by the road where they got a fire lighted,' he
says.
"When he said that, I burst out laughing, a foolish thing to do, mark
you, for when you laugh, you're done for; but I couldn't help it for
the life of me. I'd seen many tramps but never such a cool one as this.
"I no sooner laughed than he put the bird in my hands, and I had to
take it. 'Good Lord!' says I. Then I called to the missus to fetch me
the loaf and a knife, and when I got it I cut him off half the loaf.
'Don't give him that,' she says: I'll cut him a piece.' But all I says
was, 'Go and git me the tea.'
"'There's a very little for breakfast,' she says. But I made her fetch
the caddy, and he put out his hand and I half filled it with tea.
'Isn't that enough?' says I; 'well, then, have some more,' I says; and
he had some more. Then I made her fetch the bacon and began cutting him
rashers. 'One's enough,' says the old woman. 'No,' says I, 'let him
have a good breakfast. The bird's worth it,' says I and went on cutting
him bacon. 'Anything more?' I arst him.
"'If you've a copper or two to spare,' he says, 'it'll be a help to me
on my way to Dorchester.' "'Certainly,' says I, and I began to feel in
my trouser pockets and found a florin. 'Here,' I says, 'it's all I
have, but you're more than welcome to it.'
"Then my missus she giv' a sort of snort, and walked off.
"'And now,' says I, 'per'aps you won't mind letting me go back to git
some clothes on.'
"In one minute,' he says, and went on calmly stowing the things away,
and when he finished, he looks at me quite serious, and says, 'I'm
obliged to you,' he says, 'and I hope you haven't ketched cold standing
with your feet on them bricks and nothing much on you,' he says.
