slightest noise other than was made by their light feet among the
leaves and the two laughs the children had heard.

Rudolf picked up his sword, and said in as bold a voice as he could
manage--"Please, could any of you tell us the right path to--"

A burst of sharp squeals, shrill laughs, and jeering remarks
interrupted his question. The whole company of queer creatures dropped
to the ground at the same time, and instantly formed a circle about
the children, snapping their little white teeth, and grinning and
chattering like monkeys.

"Are you the Bad Dreams?" asked Rudolf. Then, as a burst of laughter
contradicted this idea--"Who are you, then?"

"Who are we? Who are we?" mocked the creatures. "O-ho, hear the human!
Doesn't know us--never got scolded on _our_ account, did he, did he?
_Oh_, no; _oh_, no! Bite him, snatch him, scratch him! _Catch_ him!"

Closer and closer the horrid little things pressed about the two
children. "What do you mean, anyway?" cried Rudolf, keeping them back
with his foot as best he could. "Who are you? You're squirrels--that's
all you are!"

"Squirrels!" The leader of the little wretches seemed furious at the
idea. "No, no," he screamed, making a dash at Rudolf's leg with his
sharp teeth. "We're Fidgets, Fidgets, Fidgets! Don't you know the
Fidgets when you see 'em, you great blundering human, you? An old,
_old_ family, that's what we are. Guess Methuselah had the Fidgets
sometimes, guess he did, did, did!" With every one of the last three