[Tom Brown’s Schooldays by Thomas Hughes]@TWC D-Link bookTom Brown’s Schooldays CHAPTER IV--THE BIRD-FANCIERS 5/16
We'll go and look at it coming back." "Oh, come on, don't let us stop," said Arthur, who was getting excited at the sight of the wood.
So they broke into a trot again, and were soon across the brook, up the slope, and into the Spinney.
Here they advanced as noiselessly as possible, lest keepers or other enemies should be about, and stopped at the foot of a tall fir, at the top of which Martin pointed out with pride the kestrel's nest, the object of their quest. "Oh, where? which is it ?" asks Arthur, gaping up in the air, and having the most vague idea of what it would be like. "There, don't you see ?" said East, pointing to a lump of mistletoe in the next tree, which was a beech.
He saw that Martin and Tom were busy with the climbing-irons, and couldn't resist the temptation of hoaxing. Arthur stared and wondered more than ever. "Well, how curious! It doesn't look a bit like what I expected," said he. "Very odd birds, kestrels," said East, looking waggishly at his victim, who was still star-gazing. "But I thought it was in a fir-tree ?" objected Arthur. "Ah, don't you know? That's a new sort of fir which old Caldecott brought from the Himalayas." "Really!" said Arthur; "I'm glad I know that.
How unlike our firs they are! They do very well too here, don't they? The Spinney's full of them." "What's that humbug he's telling you ?" cried Tom, looking up, having caught the word Himalayas, and suspecting what East was after. "Only about this fir," said Arthur, putting his hand on the stem of the beech. "Fir!" shouted Tom; "why, you don't mean to say, young un, you don't know a beech when you see one ?" Poor little Arthur looked terribly ashamed, and East exploded in laughter which made the wood ring. "I've hardly ever seen any trees," faltered Arthur. "What a shame to hoax him, Scud!" cried Martin.--"Never mind, Arthur; you shall know more about trees than he does in a week or two." "And isn't that the kestrel's nest, then ?" asked Arthur.
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