Rudolf hastily lowered Peter to the floor and got down off the table. "Ann," said he, "there must be another way out. In books there always are two ways out of secret rooms, and this," he added cheerfully, "is the bookiest thing that's happened to us yet. Come, let's look again for it."
He and Ann began the search once more, going over and over the walls by the light of their candles, but without any success. Peter was nosing about by himself in a little recess by the fireplace, and soon the other two heard him give a gleeful chuckle.
"What is it? Have you found the spring of the secret door?" cried Rudolf, running to him.
"Nope," said Peter. "It's nicer than that, it's a cake. I found it right here on this little shelf that you went past and never noticed."
"Oh, Peter," Ann scolded, "I think you are the very greediest little boy I ever knew!"
"That cake belongs to Manunderthebed, and you know it," said Rudolf sternly. "It's a dream cake, of course, a Bad-dream cake, so you can't eat it."
Peter clasped the small round cake tightly to his breast.
"It's a nice seed-cake like Cook makes," he said stubbornly, "and I must eat it."
"The seeds in it are poppy-seeds," explained Rudolf, "and you'll go to sleep and dream Bad Dreams forever, like the Knight-mare said, so you sha'n't eat it!" He tried to get the cake away from his naughty little brother who only grasped it the more tightly. There would have been a quarrel, and a fierce one, if it had not been for Ann.
"I tell you," said she, "let's try it on the animals!"