"And did he do it?" Teddy's father went on, while the crowd listened to the talk.
"Yes, sir," Teddy replied. "The cage was fixed all right, and on the way back, Jimmy and I got tired of carrying it, so we stopped in here to get some cookies. We were hungry."
"It is as I told you!" broke in Mr. Capper. "Two boys did come in for cookies. These are the two—I remember now."
"Well, why didn't you boys take the cage of rats and mice with you when you went out?" asked Mr. Martin. "If you hadn't left them here they wouldn't have gotten loose and gone into Mr. Capper's show window to eat or spoil all his buns. Why did you leave the cage here?"
"We—we forgot it, I guess; didn't we, Jimmy?" asked Teddy of his chum.
"Yes," agreed Jimmy, "we did."
"But if the man at the hardware store put new wire on the cage, I don't see how the rats and mice got out," Mr. Martin went on.
Teddy looked at the empty cage which had been set down in a corner when he and his chum bought the cookies.
"The door came open!" Teddy exclaimed. "See, Daddy, the door sprang open and the white mice got out that way. It wasn't our fault at all!"
"But it was your fault for leaving the cage here," went on Mr. Martin. "I don't see why you did it."