He waited until they had left the house. All was quiet. Moira and the little ones must be asleep. He found his overcoat, put it on, and went into the scullery again. He lifted the pigeon carefully out of its basket and placed it inside his cardigan, under his coat.
It wasn't strange to take the bird out, he said to himself. He had taken it out before. To the library, to ask for a book on the care of a sick bird. The lady in the library was very kind, very helpful. She had found a number of books about birds for him. but the pigeon was still sick. Then he had taken it to the pit, to the First Aid centre, where Alec MacColl worked. Alec had felt the bird all over very carefully while Ann watched worriedly. but Alec said, 'it' nearly dead already, boy. We can't do anything for it.'