st!_'"

"I tell you, burglars don't say _pssssst_!" Dad said. "They try to
make as little noise as possible. Just let me catch him doing it
again!" he added, waving his pistol.

"Running around on that mountain at all hours of the night," Aunt Amy
grumbled, "with burglars and I don't know what-all loose in town!"

"And then we found that you were gone, and we thought he had stolen
you," Mother went on. "Where have you been?"

"I couldn't sleep," said David. "So I went for a walk."

"Well, thank heavens you're safe," said Mother.

"Hankering after that mountain all night," Aunt Amy muttered. "As if
he wasn't up there all day."

"Look here, Son," said Dad. "What do you know about this?"

"Honestly, Dad," said David, "I couldn't sleep. There's nothing wrong
with that. I can't help it if I can't sleep. So I took a walk. There's
nothing wrong with--"

"Oh, all right, all right," his father said. "I suppose it's just a
coincidence. Let's all get back to sleep. And, David, the next time
you can't sleep, try counting sheep."

Gradually the house calmed down. Beckie stopped wailing, Dad put away
his gun, good nights were said, the lights were turned off.

David knew that it would be at least an hour before he dared to move
again, and he would have to be doubly careful this time. And he was a
little nervous himself now about that burglar. What if he should meet
him when he went out again? He tried to forget about that by thinking
of what he would put in the note for the Phoenix.

He had got as far as "Dear Phoenix:" and was wondering how you spelled
"Phoenix," when there came a swish and a thump at his window, followed
by a cautious whisper:

"_Pssssst!_"

David felt his scalp prickle. "Wh-wh-who's that?" he quavered.

"Is that you, my boy?" whispered a familiar, guarded voice. "Ah, thank
heavens!"

And the Phoenix crawled through the window.

Weak with relief, David snapped on the bedside light. The Phoenix
presented a shocking sight. Its face was drawn with fatigue, and it
looked rather draggled. Its back sagged, its wings drooped to the
floor, and it walked with a limp.

[Illustration]

"Oh, Phoenix, Phoenix!" David whispered. He jumped to support the bird
before it collapsed entirely.

"Ah, thank you, my boy," the Phoenix murmured. "Your bed, I presume?
May I? Thank you." The springs creaked under its weight as the Phoenix
gingerly lay down.

"What a night, my boy, _what_ a night!" it sighed weakly