“Hullo!” said Willie as soon as he saw Jolly Robin. “I haven’t seen you for a long time.”
Jolly Robin laughed merrily.
“Don’t you remember my calling on you about noon to-day?” he asked.
“You must be mistaken,” Willie Whip-poor-will replied. “I’ve been asleep since sunrise—until a little while ago. And nobody came to see me.”
“You’ve forgotten,” said Jolly. “But it’s no matter. I can talk to you now just as well. I want to speak to you about your 114 singing.” Jolly paused then; and he yawned widely, for it was his bed-time that very moment.
“Talk fast, please!” said Willie Whip-poor-will. “I haven’t finished my breakfast yet. And I’m pretty hungry.”
It seemed queer, to Jolly Robin, that anyone should be eating his breakfast right after sunset. And he was about to say something about the matter. But just as he opened his mouth to speak he yawned again. And then, without realizing what he was doing, he tucked his head under his wing and fell asleep on the limb of the cedar tree where he was sitting.
Willie Whip-poor-will looked at him in astonishment.
“What shocking manners!” he exclaimed. “He went to sleep while we were talking. But I suppose he knows no better.” 115
Willie would have liked to know what Jolly Robin was going to say about his singing. But he was so hungry that he left Jolly asleep upon his perch and hurried off to look for more insects.