"What have you there?" asked Aunt Lolly.

"That's the children's secret," answered Daddy Blake, as he wrapped
the package up again.

Hal was up first in the morning, but Mab soon followed him.

"Daddy, where is the bottle?" called Hal.

"May we get it?" asked Mab.

"Oh, it is much too cold for you to go out until you are warmly
dressed!" cried Daddy. "I'll bring the bottle in so you can see it."

He went out on the porch in his bath robe and slippers, and quickly
brought in the bottle of water he had set out the night before.

"Oh, look!" cried Hal.

For the bottle was broken into several pieces, and standing up on the
board on which it had been set, was a solid, clear piece of ice, just
the shape of the glass bottle itself.

"Oh, somebody broke our bottle!" cried Mab. "Now we can't hear the
secret!"




CHAPTER III