they sat in an apple tree and looked at the great lake,
and watched the gulls swooping and soaring through the air. Many boats
were plowing through the water, and many people were strolling along the
beach or swimming in the surf.

"I want a drink!" said little Sheldon.

"I want a drink!" said little Elizabeth.

"I want a drink!" said little Evelina.

"I want a drink!" said little Montgomery.

"The water in the lake is not fit to drink, children!" said Robert
Robin. "It tastes bric-a-brac-ish! We will go over to General Scamp's
fountain, and get a drink of marble water!"

[Illustration: They sat in an apple tree and watched the gulls swooping
and soaring through the air.
(Page 76) (Exciting Adventures of Mr. Robert Robin)]

So Robert Robin and his family went over to General Scamp's lawn and had
a fine drink from his nice bird fountain, and Robert Robin plunged into
the bird basin and took a bath, and spattered water all over little
Evelina.

But in a few moments all of them were bathing in General Scamp's bird
basin.

"There is nothing like a cold plunge, when one is traveling!" said
Robert Robin. "Now I will teach you children to catch earthworms!"

"Oh! Goody!" shouted all the young birdsters. "In which tree are they?"

"They are not in any tree! They are in General Scamp's lawn!" said
Robert Robin, as he hopped down and began tripping over the green grass.
Suddenly he stood perfectly still and turned his head to one side.
Robert Robin was listening and looking closely at the ground.

"Watch your father, children!" said Mrs. Robin. "You must learn to stop,
look, and listen before you become a good worm hunter!"

Robert Robin was standing as still as a stick. Then, like a flash, he
drove his sharp beak into the green sod and pulled out a long wiggly
worm.

In an instant the young robins had seized the worm and were pulling this
way and that.

"Look out! Look out!" screamed Robert Robin. "A cat is coming! A cat is
coming!"

The young robins dropped the big worm, and all of them flew up into a
tulip tree.

The big cat tiptoed across the lawn, until she came to an iron fountain.
No water was coming from the fountain, and its basin was dry. It was an
old fountain and was not much used.

"Ho! Ho!" said the cat. "Here is a good place to hide! I will get into
this old fountain and wait until a robin gets near enough for me to
catch. Then I will pounce upon it!"

So the big cat hid in the old iron f