And then we both leaped on her from the stairs. When she ducked her
head up from our hugs, the Bottle Man was standing in the doorway,
looking queer.

"Ailsa!" he said; and that really did floor us, because we knew we'd
never even mentioned her existence to him. She stood staring, and
then put her hand up against her throat, exactly like somebody in a
book.

"Andrew!" she said, in a faint little voice.

Mother looked at them, and then said:

"Bedtime, chicks! Come along!" and went up with us.

It was quite weird, going to bed at nine o'clock in the morning. We
pulled down all the shades so we could sleep, though I don't really
think we needed to, because I know that as soon as I shut my eyes I
was sound asleep.

When I woke up the room was quite dim, and Mother and Father were
standing at the door talking. Father looked awfully tired, but dear
and glad, and he wouldn't let me tell him how sorry I was about it
all. Mother said that even more surprising things had been
happening, and that if I'd slept enough for a time, I'd better come
down to supper. That was queer, too,--dressing in the twilight and
coming down to supper, instead of to breakfast.

We all talked a lot at supper, of course, and people kept asking