So the girls told them all about it from that first night when they had
been so badly frightened by the "Thing" that had hidden in the shadows of
the porch. The boys listened with scarcely an interruption till they were
through.

"Gosh, I don't like the sound of that at all," said Will, when they had
finished. "It isn't a pleasant thing to have a lunatic roaming the woods
while you girls are all alone here in this place. Could you possibly put
us up for the night?" he asked, turning abruptly to Mrs. Irving.

"Why, there isn't any room," said the latter slowly, frowning a little as
she tried to think up ways and means. "There aren't any extra beds, but
there is a large settee in the living room and a couple of you can sleep
on that. I found plenty of blankets stowed away."

"Fine!" cried Will enthusiastically. "Just the very thing! One of us can
take turns sleeping on the floor. It won't be the first time we've slept
on harder things."

"Goodness, any one would think they were going to stay a month," said
Mollie in dismay.

"No, we won't stay a month," Will went on. "But we are going to stay until
we find out what it is that has been bothering you girls. Do you suppose
we would leave you unprotected here? I should say not!" Grace noticed that
when he said this his glance was first for Amy, and, afterward, for her.

So it was settled. Mrs. Irving went inside to see about getting lunch.
"Though how the boys can find any room for lunch after eating all those
sandwiches, I don't know," Amy had commented wonderingly.