er, but for every nice day that we get, we are almost sure to have
_two_ bad, stormy days!"

"Nonsense, Mrs. Partridge!" said Robert Robin, "I have always noticed
that the more fine weather we have, the more we get! I claim that we are
going to have the nicest summer this year that we have had since the
year we had so many cherries!"

"I do hope that you are right, Mister Robin!" said Mrs. Partridge.
"Major Partridge is always joking me because I am expecting bad weather,
but I have noticed that no matter how many nice days we have, it always
turns around and rains, before it gets through!"

"Certainly! It _should_ rain, or we would all die of thirst! If no rain
came out of the sky, we would not have any cherries, and the bugs would
all be so dry there would not be any taste to them! We must have rain,
Mrs. Partridge! We must have rain!"

"Do you enjoy rainy weather, Mister Robin?" asked Mrs. Partridge.

"I like wet weather, when it is not too wet; I like dry weather when it
is not too dry; I like warm weather when it is not too warm, and I like
cool weather when it is not too cool! And I have a song for each kind
of weather!" said Robert Robin as he again started hunting for brown
bugs.

"You seem to be looking for something, Mister Robin!" said Mrs.
Partridge.

"Yes, I am hunting brown bugs!" said Robert Robin; "two of them hid
under the leaves, but there must be a few more left!"

"Stir the leaves up with your feet!" said Mrs. Partridge, "then if there
are any brown bugs under them you will be able to catch them!"

"I cannot make my feet go backwards!" said Robert Robin. "My feet insist
on hopping! I think that I must be clumsy with my legs, for even the
farmer's big rooster can scratch the ground and dig up wonderful things.
I saw him kick a worm clear through the fence!"

"He must be very strong!" said Mrs. Partridge.

"Strong! I should say he is strong! Even Percy Hawk is afraid of him,
and never goes near the little chickens when that big rooster is
watching him!"

"Major Partridge is very athletic!" said Mrs. Partridge. "He exercises a
great deal on his drum!"

"Here comes the Major now!" said Robert Robin.

"How do you do, sir!" said Major Partridge to Robert Robin.

"Good afternoon, Major!" said Robert Robin. "I have just been telling
Mrs. Partridge about how strong the farmer's big rooster was, and how he
could dig with his feet!"

"Did you ever see _me_ dig with my feet?" asked Major Part