and presently he heard footsteps overhead.

"Who's there?" came in the heavy voice of a man.

The voice sounded so unnatural that Freddie was afraid to answer.
Perhaps the man might be a burglar come to rob the store.

"I say, who's there?" repeated the voice. "Answer me."

There was a minute of silence, and then Freddie heard the footsteps
coming slowly down the stairs. The man had a lantern in one hand and a
club in the other.

Not knowing what else to do, Freddie crouched behind a counter. His
heart beat loudly, and he had dim visions of burglars who might have
entered the big store to rob it. If he was discovered, there was no
telling what such burglars might do with him.

"Must have been the cat," murmured the man on the stairs. He reached the
basement floor and swung his lantern over his head. "Here, kittie,
kittie, kittie!" he called.

"Meow!" came from the black kitten, which was still in Freddie's arms.
Then the man looked in that direction.

"Hullo!" he exclaimed, starting in amazement. "What are you doing here?
Are you alone?"

"Oh, please, I want my mamma!" cried Freddie.

"You want your mamma?" repeated the man. "Say!" he went on suddenly.
"Are you the kid that got lost this afternoon, youngster?"

"I guess I did get lost," answered Freddie. He saw that the man had a
kindly face and this made him a bit braver. "I walked around and sat
down over there--in the straw--and went to sleep."

"Well, I never!" cried the man. "And have you been down here ever
since?"

"Yes, sir. But I don't want to stay--I want to go home."

"All right, you shall go. But this beats me!"

"Are you the man who owns the store?" questioned Freddie curiously.

At this the man laughed. "No; wish I did. I'm the night watchman. Let me
see, what is your name?"

"Freddie Bobbsey. My papa owns the lumber yard."

"Oh, yes, I remember now. Well, Freddie, I reckon your papa will soon
come after you. All of 'em are about half crazy, wondering what has
become of you."

The night watchman led the way to the first floor of the department
store and Freddie followed, still clutching the black kitten, which
seemed well content to remain with him.

"I'll telephone to your papa," said the watchman, and going into one of
the offices he rang the bell and called up the number of the Bobbsey
residence.

In the meantime Mrs. Bobbsey and the others of the family were almost
frantic with grief and alarm. Mr. Bobbsey had notified the p