imals," agreed Mr. Martin. "In fact I like
them myself, especially Tip and Top, the dogs. I never saw any better
trick animals."

Tip and Top had quieted down now, as had the other animals after Bob had
come in to get the pigeons.

"You'd better keep all of Uncle Toby's pets," she concluded. "I'm going
now. Just pull the door shut after you and it will lock. The water is
turned off and the house is all cleaned out. There isn't any food to
spoil, except what the animals need, and you can take that with you.
Uncle Toby said I was to go as soon as you arrived to have charge of his
collection, and, as you are here, I'm going. Uncle Toby has hired a man
to look after the house so it will be all right. Go and get your pigeons,
Bob," she added. "Good-bye, everybody," and away she went.

For a moment Mr. and Mrs. Martin looked at each other. Then Mr. Nip, the
parrot, broke the silence by saying:

"I'm a crack-crack-cracker!"

"You're a fire-cracker--at least your feathers are red enough for that,"
laughed Mrs. Martin. "Well, we seem to have the pets whether we want them
or not," she told her husband. "We can't go away and leave them here. We
can't stay in this house, and try to sell them, if the water is turned
off and there is nothing to eat. I guess we'll have to take the pets home
with us, Dick."

Mr. Martin looked puzzled.

"Oh, yes! Please keep them!" begged Ted and Janet.

"An' det a han'-ordan fo' de monkey!" begged Trouble, speaking rather
more in baby fashion than he usually talked, because he was so excited, I
suppose.

"At least we'll have to take charge of Uncle Toby's pets until we decide
what to do," said Mr. Martin, after a while. "We might keep some of them
and sell the others."

"Oh, keep them _all_!" exclaimed Ted.

"We'll see," his father answered, and from the tone of his voice Ted and
his sister were almost sure they would be allowed to have all the animals
for their very own. Of course Trouble could hardly expect a hand-organ to
go with Jack, the monkey, but that was not much of a loss.

"We can't get back home to-night," said Mrs. Martin, "that's sure. It's
too far. We'll have to stay either here, at Uncle Toby's house, or at a
hotel."

"I suppose we could stay here, if we had to," her husband remarked. "I
can turn the water on, and it is easy enough to get something to eat,
even if we have to buy it at the delicatessen shop."

"I just love delicatessen stuff, don't you?" whispered Jan t