"Have either of you been down there?"
"No, you stupid!"
"Well, some one's let Bob into the house."
"Oh, bother Bob! I say, Ida, you are a fool to go waking a fellow up like this. What's the joke?"
"It's no joke," she said. "Good-night; go to sleep."
"You are a little noodle, Elsie!" Ida exclaimed as she jumped back into bed, her teeth chattering with the cold. "The boys are both in bed, and haven't been near the tool-house. And d'you know what you've done? You've let in Bob."
"I'm sure I didn't."
"But you did. He's just run upstairs. He must have slipped in when you opened the yard door. His collar's broken, and he gets loose sometimes."
"I'm sure he didn't come into the house when I opened the door," persisted Elsie. "I only stood there half a minute. The servants must have let him in when they were locking up."
"Well, if it was a robber working the grindstone," answered Ida jokingly, "he can't get into the house without Bob barking and waking everybody up. Now, good-night; don't wake me up again."