edwing, coming over to sit very
near Peter.

"There isn't much," replied Peter, "excepting that Teeter the Sandpiper
has four eggs just a little way from here."

Redwing chuckled. "That is no news, Peter," said he. "Do you suppose
that I live neighbor to Teeter and don't know where his nest is and all
about his affairs? There isn't much going on around the Smiling Pool
that I don't know, I can tell you that."

Peter looked a little disappointed, because there is nothing he likes
better than to be the bearer of news. "I suppose," said he politely,
"that you will be building a nest pretty soon yourself, Redwing."

Redwing chuckled softly. It was a happy, contented sort of chuckle. "No,
Peter," said he. "I am not going to build a nest."

"What?" exclaimed Peter, and his two long ears stood straight up with
astonishment.

"No," replied Redwing, still chuckling. "I'm not going to build a nest,
and if you want to know a little secret, we have four as pretty eggs as
ever were laid."

Peter fairly bubbled over with interest and curiosity. "How splendid!"
he cried. "Where is your nest, Redwing? I would just love to see it. I
suppose it is because she is sitting on those eggs that I haven't seen
Mrs. Redwing. It was very stupid of me not to guess that folks who come
as early as you do would be among the first to build a home. Where is
it, Redwing? Do tell me."

Redwing's eyes twinkled.

"A secret which is known by three
Full soon will not a secret be,"

said he. "It isn't that I don't trust you, Peter. I know that you
wouldn't intentionally let my secret slip out. But you might do it by
accident. What you don't know, you can't tell."

"That's right, Redwing. I am glad you have so much sense," said another
voice, and Mrs. Redwing alighted very near to Redwing.

Peter couldn't help thinking that Old Mother Nature had been very unfair
indeed in dressing Mrs. Redwing. She was, if anything, a little bit
smaller than her handsome husband, and such a plain, not to say homely,
little body that it was hard work to realize that she was a Blackbird
at all. In the first place she wasn't black. She was dressed all over in
grayish-brown with streaks of darker brown which in places were almost
black. She wore no bright-colored shoulder patches. In fact, there
wasn't a bright feather on her anywhere. Peter wanted to ask why it was
that she was so plainly dressed, but he was too polite and decided to
wait until he shoul