was.

"No! It isn't that at all!" I explained. "This is something important."

Carol showed her the book. He showed her the pencil he was going to
write the book with.

"When it's all done," I explained, "everybody will want to read it!"

"I can well believe it," said the Lady. She looked at Carol. Everybody
looks at Carol.

"Who are you children, anyway?" she said.

"My name is Ruthy," I explained. "And this is my brother Carol."

She began to look at Carol all over again. She reached out and shook him
by the shoulder.

"Dumbness!" she said. "Why let Sister do all the talking?"

My stomach felt pretty queer.

"My brother Carol _can't_ talk," I explained. "He _is_ dumb!"

The Lady turned very red.

"Oh dear--Oh dear--Oh dear," she said. She opened her purse. She took
out a dollar bill. "Surely something could be done about it!" she said.

"We are not looking for money," I explained. "We are perfectly rich. We
have warm underalls. And two parents. And an older sister. We have a
tame coon. And a tame crow. Our Father could paint the house any Autumn
he wanted to if he'd rather do it than plant Tulips."

The Lady looked at her watch. It was a bright blue watch no bigger than
a violet is.

"This is all very interesting," she said. "But at the obnoxious hotel
which you run in this village dinner is at twelve o'clock and if I'm
not there at exactly that moment there will not be another dinner, I
suppose, until twelve o'clock the next day. So----"

"Probably not," I said. "So if you don't feel timid at all about walking
out with strangers, my brother Carol and I will walk home to the Hotel
with you and write our book as we go."

The Lady bit herself. She bit herself in the lip. She began to walk very
fast.

Carol walked very fast on one side of her. I walked very fast on the
other. Carol carried the book. He carried it wide open so as to be all
ready any moment. I carried the pencil.

"Can you tell me," said the Lady, "just why you and your brother have
picked upon me as the first victim of your most astonishing
interrogations?"

"Because you are the only Lady we ever saw in our lives that we didn't
know who she was!" I explained. "And that makes it more interesting!"

"O--h," said the Lady. She gave a queer little gasp. It was the Hotel
happening! She ran up the hotel steps. There was a Gentleman waiting for
her at the top of the steps. He was a tall Gentleman with a very cross
mustache. The Lady w