an
now," she went on. "We'll ask him."

But, though the policeman had seen many children on the street, he was
not sure he had seen Bunny and Sue.

"However," he said, "the police station is not far from here. You had
better go there and ask if they have any lost children. We pick up some
every day, and maybe yours are there. Go to the police station. You'll
find 'em there."

And to the police station went Mother Brown and Aunt Lu. They walked in
toward a big, long desk, with a brass rail in front. Behind the desk sat
a man dressed like a soldier, with gold braid on his cap.

"Have you any lost children?" asked Mother Brown.

"A few," answered the police officer behind the brass rail. "You can
hear 'em crying."

Aunt Lu and Mother Brown listened. Surely enough, they heard several
little children crying.

"They're in the back room," said the officer. "I'll take you in, and you
can pick yours out."

CHAPTER XVIII

HOME AGAIN

Mother Brown and Aunt Lu went into the back room of the police station.
Around the room, at a table, sat many policemen, most of them with their
coats off, for it was rather a warm day. These were the policemen who
were waiting for something to happen--such as a fire, or some other
trouble--before they went out to help boys and girls, or men and women.

But, besides these policemen, there were some little children, three
little boys, and two little girls, all rather ragged, all quite dirty,
and at least one boy and one girl were crying.

"Oh, where did you get them all?" asked Mother Brown.

"They are lost children," said the policeman who looked like a soldier,
with the gold braid on his cap. "Our officers find them on the street,
and bring them here."

"And how do their fathers and mothers find them?" asked Aunt Lu.

"Oh, they come here looking for them, the same as you two ladies are
doing. The children are never lost very long. You see they're so little
they can't tell where they live, or we'd send them home ourselves. Are
any of these the lost children you are looking for?"

"Oh, no! Not one!" exclaimed Mother Brown. It took only one look to show
her and Aunt Lu that Bunny and Sue were not among the lost children then
in the police station.

"Well, I wish some of these were yours," returned the officer.
"Especially those two crying ones. They've cried ever since they came
here."

"Boo-hoo!" cried two of the lost children. They seemed to be afraid,
more than were