Tue Sparrow was sitting by the fire in his nest, his claws in a tiny bowl of hot-water and a strip of flannel round his neck, Every now and then he sneezed violently and his little black eyes were red-rimmed.
"This ought to teach you to keep away from that silly Treetops Club," said his wife, "coming in at all hours with the snow on the ground and everything."
"Pipe down, Sourpuss," said The Sparrow.
"I won't pipe down," said his wife. "One of these days you'll catch pneumonia and die and then where shall we all be?"
"I know where I shall be," said The Sparrow. "Under the ground. And not a minute too soon."
"Now you're being silly," said his wife, "though I suppose a little depression when you're getting better is understandable."
"Depression when you're about is always understandable," said The Sparrow.
"You don't think that when you come home shivering with your beak stuffed up and your claws like ice," said his wife. "Oh dear no."
"Ow dear no," mimicked The Sparrow.
"Then you behave like a child and think re going to die," said his wife.
didn't think I was going to die," said The Sparrow.
"Yes you did," said his wife, "asking me to feel your pulse, and look at your tongue, and listen to your heart. I'm sure there never was such a fuss. Never."
"Except when you're laying an egg," said The Sparrow.
fou needn't be vulgar," said his wife.
"If it's vulgar, why do you do it?" asked The Sparrow.
"I have no control over these matters," said his wife.
TIl say you haven't," said The Sparrow. "By the time you've finished nobody can move for eggs."
is ys been a good mother,"
'm sure I've alway said his wife, a tear starting in her eye, "and nobody can say I haven't."
"Nobody's trying to say you haven't, said The Sparrow.
"After all the care I've taken of you," said his wife, sniffing.
"All right, all right," said The Sparrow.
"Up night after night getting you hot drinks," said his wife. "I don't suppose I've had a wink of sleep for a week."
"Nor have I," said The Sparrow.
"Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough," said his wife. "Sneeze, sneeze, sneeze, sneeze, sneeze." ho had the cold?" asked The Sparrow. "You or me?"
"I might just as well have," said his wife.
"Well," said The Sparrow, jumping up and tearing the strip of flannel from his neck, "do you know What I'm going to do now?"
"Youre gi going out?" said his wife.
"Iam" The Sparrow. "I'm going to the Treetops Club. And I'm going to drink, drink, drink, drink, drink till I'm tight, tight, tight, tight, tight."
"Oh," sobbed his wife.
"And as for you, you snivelling miser: The Sparrow as he dived into the dar] can go to hell, hell, hell, hell, hell."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.