e, so that at last there was no question in a
divinity paper he could not answer. Indeed, once when the examining
Chaplain was ill, the Crow did his work for him.

[Illustration]

The fame of this learned Crow spread far and wide, until at last it
reached the King's ears. Now the Bishop had been expecting this all
along, and ever since he found the young Crow he had been training him
for a purpose. I am sorry to say he was rather a greedy man; and as he
hoped to get something out of the King by the means of this Crow, he
trained him to fly towards anything that shone bright, such as gold and
silver.

"When the King asks me to show off my Crow," he thought, "I will ask as
a price anything the Crow may choose; and then doubtless he will fly to
the King's crown, and I shall be King!"

At the first all fell out as he looked for. The King sent word to say he
wanted to see the Crow. He was sitting in the garden, with his gold
crown on, and all his courtiers around him; and then asked to hear him
say all the kings of Israel and Judah.

"With pleasure, sire," said the Bishop; "if your Majesty will deign to
grant him what he chooses for a reward. He has been well taught, and
will not work for nothing."

"By all means," said the King; "let him choose his reward, and I will
give it."

Then the Bishop took his Crow out of his hat, and the Crow said all the
kings of Israel and Judah quite right, forwards and backwards, without a
single mistake. The King was delighted: he could not have done as much.

"And now, sire," said the Bishop, "I will let him go, and tell him to
choose his own prize."

So the Bishop let the Crow loose. The Crow was flying straight for the
King's crown, when all on a sudden what should he spy but a dead cat! He
turned off on the instant, and down he swooped on the dead cat. You know
Crows eat dead things and offal; and this Crow liked a dead cat for
dinner better than a gold crown.

The King laughed, the courtiers roared with merriment.

"Bishop," said the King, when he had done laughing, "your Crow is easily
pleased, it seems! Well, he has chosen his reward, and by my royal
beard, he shall have it. Ha, ha, ha!"

But the Bishop felt very rueful indeed. All his pains and trouble lost,
and nothing to show for it! He shook his head and went away, singing to
himself a little chant he made up on the spot, all out of his own head--

"I kept my Crow in a lovely cage,
And taught hi