Robin Redbreast

“ But, even as he spoke, Iadilla changed into a beautiful Robin Redbreast with soft feathers and strong, firm wings. And, fluttering up to the ridgepole of the tent, he looked down with pity and tenderness upon the heart-broken chief.
"Do not grieve, father," he sang. "I shall be so much happier as a bird, free from human pain and sorrow. ”

“ HE English Robin is not precisely like our little American friend whom we call by that name, although, as the lines of poetry quoted above will show, in two ways he is the same as ours: he has a red breast, and he is the bird whom every one loves. Of all the little brothers of the air, in every land and clime, the pretty, jolly, neighborly Robin Redbreast is the favorite.
There are many stories about him: some which tell how he came by his scarlet breast, others which explain why he has always been best beloved of the birds. I have already told how he helped the Wren to bring fire to men. ”

“ Robin’s Christmas [32]
When I was a little girl I used to look for Robin Redbreast perched in the holly on my Christmas cards, and nearly always he was there, fluttering about in the green, or singing [241] a merry greeting from among the red berries. Nowadays I do not see him so often, but I have heard the story of how he came to be there. Listen, and you shall hear it, too.
First, you must know that the English Robin Redbreast (which is the one in my story) does not go South in the fall as our robin does. ”

“ This time May-flower expected him back at the usual hour in vain. Neither that night nor on the morrow did he revisit the farm.
The little girl ran to the common. There she found Robin Redbreast, who thus spoke, before he flew away for ever:
“I have been waiting for you, my little lady. The sheep is gone, and will return no more. Your uncles have been punished after their deserts. For you, you are now a rich heiress, and may wear a cross of gold and silken slippers, as I promised you. My work here is done, and I [117] am about to fly away far hence. ”

“ Our American birds, like the American flowers, have not been celebrated in classic song. They are scarcely known, except to our own people, and they have not in general been exalted by praise above their real merits. We read, both in prose and verse, the praises of the European Lark, Linnet, and Nightingale, and the English Robin Redbreast has been immortalized in song. But the American Robin, (Turdus migratorius,) though surnamed Redbreast, is a bird of different species and different habits. ”

“ He had a bright red breast, and seemed evidently to consider himself of good blood and family, with the best reason, as I afterwards learned, since he was no other than the identical robin redbreast renowned in song and story; undoubtedly a lineal descendant of that very cock robin whose death and burial form so vivid a portion of our childish literature.
I must tell you, then, as one of the first remarks on matters and things here in England, that "robin redbreast" is not at all the fellow we in America take him to be. ”

“ In Maryland, North Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee, the Robin-potpie-loving inhabitants must in future content themselves with such game birds as Quail, Grouse, Wild Turkeys, and Ducks. The life of Sir Robin Redbreast has now been declared to be sacred everywhere. He and his mate are to dwell beneath the protection of the strong arm of the United States Government. ”

“ There is a wild robin redbreast who always comes when I dig my garden, to eat the grubs that the spade turns up. He is not in the least afraid, and he often answers when I whistle to him: he is a little cousin of mine. ”

“ He sung of Robin’s love for little Jenny Wren;
And when he came unto the end, then he began again.
The Bullfinch walk’d by Robin, and thus to him did say,
“Pray, mark, friend Robin Redbreast, that Goldfinch dress’d so gay;—
“What though her gay apparel becomes her very well;
Yet Jenny’s modest dress and look must bear away the bell!”
Then came the Bride and Bridegroom; quite plainly was she dress’d,
And blush’d so much, her cheeks were as red as Robin’s breast.
But Robin cheer’d her up; “My pretty Jen,” said he,
“We’re going to be married, and happy we shall be.” ”

“ Did you ever give a penny to an organ-grinder with a monkey?
If everyone stopped giving money to men who use monkeys for begging, how would it help the little monkeys?
[74]
ROBIN REDBREAST
“Cheer up! Cheer up!” sings Robin Redbreast every morning. “Listen to me! Listen to me! Oh, excuse me! I see, I see a feast!” and down he hops, hops, hops to the spot where he sees a nice fat worm wiggling out of the ground.
Perhaps it is an earthworm, perhaps it is a worse worm; but if it is an earthworm, you will have fun watching Robin. ”

“ Down came pussy-cat, and away Robin ran; Said little Robin Redbreast, "Catch me if you can." Little Robin Redbreast jumped upon a wall, Pussy-cat jumped after him, and almost got a fall; Little Robin chirped and sang, and what did pussy say? Pussy-cat said naught but "Mew," and Robin flew away. ”

“ Probably Donne’s verses were written as a companion-piece to the present poem.
Page 120. “Yet merrily sings little Robin.”—The loveliest of all verses in praise of Robin Redbreast are in Chapman’s “Tears of Peace,” 1609:—
“Whose face the bird hid that loves humans best,
That hath the bugle eyes and rosy breast,
And is the yellow autumn’s nightingale.”
Page 120. “The love of change.”—This is the first stanza of [Pg 193] a poem which is printed entire (in six stanzas) in Davison’s “Poetical Rhapsody,” 1602. ”

“ The kind parents attended to them with unremitting affection, and made their daily visit to Frederick and Harriet Benson, who very punctually discharged the benevolent office of feeding them. The robin redbreasts, made familiar by repeated favours, approached nearer and nearer to their little friends by degrees' and at length ventured to enter the room and feed upon the breakfast-table. Harriet was delighted at this circumstance, and Frederick was quite transported; he longed to catch the birds, but his mamma told him that would be the very means to drive them away. ”

“ The Redstart is so extremely beautiful in summer, his song so tender and sweet, and all his ways so gentle and trustful, that if he were as common, and stayed with us all the year, he would certainly put our Robin’s popularity to the proof. Nesting in our garden, or even on the very wall of our house, and making his presence there obvious by his brilliant colouring and his fearless domesticity, he might become, like his plainer cousin of the 63 continent, the favourite of the peasant, who looks to his arrival in spring as the sign of a better time approaching. ”

“ Robin proved to be right. That very day she herself beheld Reddy Woodpecker eating more raspberries. He had stolen every ripe berry. Though Mrs. Robin had hoped to find four (one for each of her nestlings) she didn't pick even one. They were all too hard and sour.
"It's a pity," she said to Jolly. "Everybody knows now-a-days that children need fruit. The day is past when you can bring them up on nothing but angleworms. You'll have to go back there to the raspberry patch and fight Reddy. You can't escape a fight any longer."
Well, what could he do? What could Jolly Robin do but obey his wife? ”

“ At the mention of the Rileys the smile he had mustered vanished, and his bushy eyebrows drew sharply down over his narrow eyes from which angry little gleams flashed.
"Who asked you to come to me, Miss Forsyth?"
Robin's heart went down into her boots. "No one," she answered in a faint voice. Then, quite suddenly, something in the hard, angry face opposite her fired that spark within her that Beryl had assured her she would feel. She felt the "big thing" grow and grow until she stood straight, quite unafraid, and could go on calmly. ”

“ And Beryl escaped into the house.
Robin drove Dale back to the village. At the turn of the road near the House of Laughter she stopped the car that they might enjoy for a moment the twilight glow of the valley. Lights twinkled from the Mill houses across the river. From the House of Laughter came the sound of singing. A young crescent of a moon shone silvery against a purple blue sky.
"Little Red-Robin," cried Dale, suddenly, "Are you very sure?"
"Sure—of what?" Robin asked in a voice that trembled in spite of her.
"Someday you will be a rich girl. I am a—working-man. What will the world say? ”

“ Robin was discerned in a garden, sitting on a bench: possibly to give himself a warming in the sun—as Mrs. Frost expressed it. He sat in a still attitude: his arms folded, his head bowed. Since the miserable occurrence touching Rachel, Robin Frost was a fearfully changed man: never, from the hour that the coroner’s inquest was held and certain evidence had come out, had he been seen to smile. He had now been ill with ague, like Grind. Hearing the approach of footsteps, he turned his head, and rose when he saw it was Lionel. ”

“ Harkness, oddly dishevelled and excited, balanced on a stepladder and fastened the gay ornaments where Robin directed.
Beryl had laughed at the idea of having a Christmas tree without the usual tinsel and glittering baubles. But after Robin and Harkness had worked for a half-hour she admitted the effect was very Christmasy and "different."
"You're awfully clever, Robin," she declared, in a tone frankly grudging. "You make little things count for so much—like mother." ”

“ The Pretty Sport
Fire-works and Crackers
Sports of Harlequin
[5]
THE
CHILD’s
CURIOSITY BOOK.
The Robin Red-breast.
The Robin Red-breast is a very pretty and social bird, and particularly fond of mankind. See here he is! Pretty creature, he will come into our houses, and pick up whatever he can find. And it will be [6] wrong to put him into a cage, as he makes himself so good a companion without such confinement. The little Robin Red-breasts covered the dead children in the wood; and every body ought to love them. ”

“ Here were not only hundreds of mill folk making a "fuss" over what Robin had done, but the household of the Manor as well—old Budge, usually as adamant as a brick wall, crying! No one loved the heroic more than Beryl, but to her thinking it lay in a spectacular, and with a dramatic indifference, risking255 one's own life for another, not in a little unnecessary sentimental impulse. When she had heard of what Robin had done she had declared her "crazy" to go near the Castles, to which her mother had indignantly replied: "And are you thinking the blessed child ever thinks of herself at all?" ”

“ It’s all quite illegal, of course! You have a car, I think, Mr. Greve! You will come with us, Dr. Collingwood? Good! Then let us start at once!”
Robin intervened with a proposal that they should call en route at his hotel to see if there were any telegrams for him.
“Manderton knows I am in Rotterdam,” he explained, “and he promised to wire me the latest developments in the enquiry he is conducting.”
“Miss Trevert should be fully recovered by this,” put in the doctor; “apart from a little sickness she is really none the worse for her disagreeable experience. ”

“ Mrs. Lynch declared herself "as rich as rich" with bracelets and a necklace made of red berries. Mrs. Budge, forgetting, when Robin held a sprig of mistletoe over her head and daringly kissed her wrinkled cheek, that "things was going to sixes and sevens," laughed until her sides ached at Harkness in his silly clown's cap. Robin and Beryl, with much solemnity, exchanged purchases each had secretly made at the village store and Robin could not resist adding: "Dare you to send it to me next Christmas." ”

“ But there was no comfort in that for Robin. “It is like betraying him, mother,” said he. And when it was one night made known in the house that his father was going to Aberdeen, and that his chief reason for going was to see how it was with John Beaton, Robin’s eyes sought those of his mother in doubtful appeal. His mother only smiled. “Cannot you trust your father, Robin?” said she. “I canna trust myself, it seems,” said Robin. “There’s no harm done yet, my lad. You need not fear that ill will come from speaking your secret thoughts to your mother.”
“But other folk’s secret thoughts?” ”

“ You are doubtless very tired from the excitement of everything. And tomorrow will be a busy day—and an interesting day."
Robin drew herself slowly from the chair. She limped over to the divan upon which Cornelius Allendyce sat. Her eyes were very steady, dark with earnestness.
"I'm ashamed I cried. I won't do it again. But I want you to know, oh, you must know, that I'm not going to Gray Manor because of all those clothes and the money or anything like that. There could not be anything at Gray Manor as nice as Jimmie's and my bird-cage. ”

“ Cornelius Allendyce laughed at her dismay. To be sure he had not spent his life in such tiny quarters as the bird cage and he could not understand the girl's state of mind.
"My dear, after a little everything will seem quite natural. And remember—everything is at your command. This is your home. You are Gordon Forsyth. You will not have time to be lonely."
Robin's serious face suddenly broke into a bright smile. ”

“ Harkness coughed into his hand. Mrs. Budge fussed around the spacious belt of a dress for a handkerchief and, finding none, surreptitiously lifted a corner of her apron. Mrs. Lynch caught her throat with a convulsive movement as though something hurt it. Robin, watching her, slipped her hand into the mother's and squeezed it.
"Don't go," she whispered when the music suddenly ceased. "Beryl's funny. She likes to be alone when she plays." ”