"Oh, Daddy!" cried Bunny.

"Oh, Momsie!" exclaimed Sue.

They were both out of breath.

"Well, what's the matter now?" asked Mrs. Brown. "Why aren't you in
bed?"

"We saw something--anyhow Sue did," explained Bunny.

"But first Bunny saw Splash and Dix playing on the lawn in the
moonlight," said Sue, breathing fast.

"And then Sue saw Fred coming home--in by the back way," added Bunny,
his eyes big with wonder.

"What's that?" cried Mr. Brown, almost as excited as the two children.

"You say you saw Fred Ward?" asked Mother Brown.

"Well, it _looked_ like him," replied Bunny, not quite so sure now that
questions were being asked of him and his sister.

"And he was going very carefully and quietly around the back way," added
Sue. "Who could it be but Fred? He's getting tired of sleeping in
haystacks and eating raw eggs, and he's come home, I guess."

"Look here, Sue and Bunny," said Mr. Brown, a bit firmly but still