THE JAY AND THE PEACOCK

A Jay venturing into a yard where Peacocks used to walk, found there a number of feathers which had fallen from the Peacocks when
they were moulting. He tied them all to his tail and strutted down towards the Peacocks. When he came near them they soon
discovered the cheat, and striding up to him pecked at him and plucked away his borrowed plumes. So the Jay do no

better than go back to the other Jays, who had watched his behavior from a distance; but they were equally annoyed with him, and told
him: "It is not only fine feathers that make fine birds."

THE DOG AND THE SHADOW

It happened that a Dog had got a piece of meat and was carrying it home in his mouth in peace. Now, on his way home

he had to cross a plank lying across a running brook. As he crossed, he looked down and saw his own shadow reflected in the water
beneath. Thinking it was another dog with another piece of meat, he made up mind to have that also. So he made a snap at

the shadow in the water, but as he opened his mouth the piece of meat fell out, dropped into the water and was never seen more.

Beware lest you lose the substance by grasping at the shadow.

Reading II

Mr. Jones woke early one morning, before the sun had risen. It was a beautiful morning, so he went to the window and
looked out. He was surprised to see a neatly dressed, middle-aged professor, who worked in the university just up the
road from Mr. Joness house, coming from the direction of the town. He had grey hair and thick glasses, and was carrying
an umbrella, a morning newspaper and a bag. Mr. Jones thought that he must have arrived by the night train and decided
to walk to the university instead of taking a taxi.
Mr. Jones had a big tree in his garden, and the children had tied a long rope to one of its branches, so that they could
swing on it.
Mr. Jones was surprised to see the professor stop when he saw the rope, and look
carefully up and down the road. When he saw that there was nobody in sight, he
stepped into the garden (there was no fence), put his umbrella, newspaper, bag and hat
neatly on the grass and took hold of the rope. He pulled it hard to see whether it was
strong enough to take his weight, then ran as fast as he could and swung into the air on
the end of the rope, his grey hair blowing all around his face. Backwards and forwards he
swung, occasionally taking a few more running steps on the grass when the rope began to
swing too slowly for him.

At last the professor stopped, straightened his tie, combed his hair carefully, put on his hat,
picked up his umbrella, newspaper and bag, and continued on his way to the
university, looking as quiet and correct and respectable as one would expect a professor
to be.