But although he hurt her very much, Elsie held on. She could hear the sound of the hawk's wings as he came nearer and nearer, and at last, with one hoarse cry of rage, the rook abandoned his efforts and scuttled off as fast as ever he could go.
Elsie felt so tired that she could scarcely move. She just sat down on the side of the nest, and waited to see what would happen. There was a loud "whirr!" of wings, and then suddenly the hawk dropped down from above like a stone, and perched on a twig exactly opposite.
"Hullo!" he said. "What's the meaning of this?"
Elsie looked up, and found him staring at her with his bright brown eyes.
"Oh, Mister Hawk," she said. "They asked me to come up, and now they won't let me go. They tried to shut down the lid when they heard you coming, but I wouldn't let them."
"I am much obliged to you," said the hawk, eyeing the trembling young rooks with a pleasant smile. "I was feeling a bit peckish. Can I do anything for you in return?"
"If you could take me down to the garden," said Elsie timidly, "I should be so grateful."
"Why, of course," cried the hawk. "That's nothing."
He fluttered across, and took hold of her sash with his claws.
"I'll be back in a moment," he said to the young rooks, with a kind of hungry laugh.