said Robert Robin, "I will surely
remember to sing you my Good-night song, when the sun goes down behind
the hill!"

And that evening, when the red sun was sinking behind the purple hill,
and the sky of the west was hung with the tapestry of clouds, and the
shadows in the valley were soft as black velvet, and the breath of the
wind was like a whisper among the leaves, Robert Robin sang his
Good-night song:

"Mellow light!
Mellow light!
Yellow light!
Yellow light!
Has gone!
Has gone!
Let us rest,--
Let us rest!
'Til dawn,--'til dawn!"

Then Mister Robert Robin fluttered down into his own big basswood tree,
and he and all of his family slept soundly all night, and not even
Mister Screech-owl and his whistle disturbed them.

CHAPTER VIII

ROBERT ROBIN TELLS THE STORY OF WINTER

It was well towards Fall when Mister and Mrs. Robert Robin's second
family were out of the nest, and flying around. The days were getting
shorter and the nights seemed very, very long to Robert Robin, who kept
the sharpest watch to see the first faint light of dawn in the east. For
Robert Robin felt it his duty to waken everybody just as quickly as he
was sure that morning was about to break. But as the sun came up in the
east a little later each morning, Robert Robin had longer and longer to
wait.

"It seems to me that last night was the longest night that we have had
this summer!" he said to Mrs. Robin.

"Perhaps to-night will not be as long!" said Mrs. Robin.

"Perhaps not!" said Robert Robin, "but if to-night is any longer than
last night, I am going to get the children together and tell them about
the Great White Bear and the Little Gray Mouse!"

That afternoon the clouds covered the sky, and towards night a fine
misty rain fell, so that the afternoon was dark, and it seemed to Robert
Robin that night arrived long before time for it.

"It is getting dark here in the middle of the afternoon!" he said.

The next morning a fog covered all the land, and Robert Robin had good
reason to think that the night was far too long.

"Some one is taking our days away from us! By this time to-morrow we
will not have any light left, if it keeps on this way!"

But in the afternoon the fog banks drifted away, and the bright sun
shone, so Robert Robin felt much better, and he even sang a few songs to
cheer up Jim Crow and the other neighbors.

"This is a very fine day!" said Mrs. Robin. And so