"What?"

"It said, 'You let me alone.'"

But Cyril merely observed that his sister must have gone off her head,
and he and Robert dug with spades while Anthea sat on the edge of the
hole, jumping up and down with hotness and anxiety. They dug carefully,
and presently everyone could see that there really was something moving
in the bottom of the Australian hole.

Then Anthea cried out, "_I'm_ not afraid. Let me dig," and fell on her
knees and began to scratch like a dog does when he has suddenly
remembered where it was that he buried his bone.

"Oh, I felt fur," she cried, half laughing and half crying. "I did
indeed! I did!" when suddenly a dry husky voice in the sand made them
all jump back, and their hearts jumped nearly as fast as they did.

"Let me alone," it said. And now everyone heard the voice and looked at
the others to see if they had heard it too.

"But we want to see you," said Robert bravely.

"I wish you'd come out," said Anthea, also taking courage.

"Oh, well--if that's your wish," the voice said, and the sand stirred
and spun and scattered, and something brown and furry and fat came
rolling out into the hole, and the sand fell off it, and it sat there
yawning and rubbing the ends of its eyes with its hands.