didn't tell Sir Huon or his Lady what I'd seen. Borrow trouble for
yourself if that's your nature, but don't lend it to your neighbours.
Moreover, I might have been mistaken about the Smith's
work. He might have been making things for mere amusement,
though it wasn't like him, or he might have thrown away an old
piece of made iron. One can never be sure. So I held my tongue
and enjoyed the babe. He was a wonderful child - and the People
of the Hills were so set on him, they wouldn't have believed me.
He took to me wonderfully. As soon as he could walk he'd putter
forth with me all about my Hill here. Fern makes soft falling! He
knew when day broke on earth above, for he'd thump, thump,
thump, like an old buck-rabbit in a bury, and I'd hear him say
"Opy!" till some one who knew the Charm let him out, and then
it would be "Robin! Robin!" all round Robin Hood's barn, as we
say, till he'd found me.'

'The dear!' said Una. 'I'd like to have seen him!'
'Yes, he was a boy. And when it came to learning his words -
spells and such-like - he'd sit on the Hill in the long shadows,
worrying out bits of charms to try on passersby. And when the
bird flew to him, or the tree bowed to him for pure love's sake
(like everything else on my Hill), he'd shout, "Robin! Look -see!
Look, see, Robin!" and sputter out some spell or other that they
had taught him, all wrong end first, till I hadn't the heart to tell
him it was his own dear self and not the words that worked the
wonder. When he got more abreast of his words, and could cast
spells for sure, as we say, he took more and more notice of things
and people in the world. People, of course, always drew him, for
he was mortal all through.