The word “baby” was entirely new to them.  They sat up beneath their scented trees and began to ask questions.  But the robin didn’t want to be delayed; he spread his wings and fluttered on.

At last he came to the smoothest of smooth lawns, in the midst of which grew a mulberry-tree, beneath whose shadow God was seated with the Virgin Mary.  Despite the flakes of sunlight falling and the gold-blue peace by which They were surrounded.  Their attitudes were no less despondent than the angels’.  God sat with His elbows digging into His knees.  His face was buried in His delicate hands.  His eyes, peering through His fingers, were strained and red with always staring broodingly straight before Him.  Of the Virgin Mary, crouching at His feet, the robin could only see the glint of her flaxen hair and the paleness of her narrow shoulders.  Her head was bowed in the lap of her Maker as if she had been beseeching Him always.

The robin was overwhelmed with terror.  All his chirpiness was gone.  “Dear God,” he quavered, “I beg Thy forgiveness.  I have come when I was not bidden.”

He paused, hoping that God would encourage him.  When God took no notice, he felt himself to be the most insignificant and impertinent of living creatures.  He spoke again, lest the silence should kill him on the spot.

“I have brought glad tidings—­at least, we on earth think they are glad.  The Woman, whom Thou didst cast out for eating the fruit that was forbidden, has been very sick.  She has been sick since April till just before day-break this morning, when she miraculously recovered.  At her side she found lying a little thing—­such a little thing—­so like to Thyself, oh, God.  It has bandy legs and arms no thicker than Thy smallest finger.  It has a baldy head, about the size of an apple, with threads of gold spread over it like floss.  It has a pink, wee face and a rose-bud of a mouth.  It’s eyes are like patches of Thine own blue Heaven.  And it’s soft and cuddly.  The Women calls it her ‘Belovedest.’  And it smells sweet like the flowers we used to breathe in Eden.  We didn’t know what it was.  Even the Man didn’t know.  He summoned the animals to come and find a name for it.  While they were sitting on their hind-legs, behold, it awoke and told us that its rightful name was baby.  And now, oh, God, we birds and animals want to have babies.  We’re all trying to find out how it happened.  And I want to find out most especially, because——­”

“A baby, thou sayest!  What is a baby?  I, thy Creator, know nothing of it.  The last thing I fashioned was the Woman, who has brought this deep shame upon Us.”

God had spoken through His hands very softly, yet His voice was like a great wind blowing.  It took the robin some seconds to recover from the shock.  By the time he was ready to answer, the angels were rustling through all the glades of Heaven and the Virgin was gazing at him with wistful intensity.