this story is about them, you see; and they got their pennies from their
papa, and each one bought some watercress snails, preserved in salted
cornmeal; very fine they were, too, for ducks.

Just as the three Wibblewobble children were finishing the last of the
snails, who should come hopping along but Bully, the frog. He hopped into
the water to cool himself off and then, when he had hopped out again, he
asked:

"I say, Jimmie, are your folks expecting company?"

"I don't think so," answered Jimmie. "I saw mamma setting the table and
she wasn't putting the clean cloth on. No, I guess we're not going to have
company, or there'd be a clean cloth put on. Why do you ask?"

"Because, as I was coming through the woods just now I met a funny looking
creature asking the way to your pen."

"Who was it?" inquired Lulu.

"Oh, it was a nice old lady. She had long hair and she carried a basket
and she wore such a funny bonnet! Two sharp things stuck right out of the
top of it. I offered to show her the way here, but she said I went in the
water so often that she couldn't follow me, for she didn't want to get her
feet wet. You must be going to have company."

"Maybe we are!" cried Alice. "Let's go ask mamma."

So they went, and asked their mother, but she said she did not know of any
company coming, but, for fear some one might come along unexpectedly she