"Then he isn't a burglar!" stated Rose.
"Of course not!" laughed her mother.
"No, I'm not a burglar," said the visitor, laughing too. "Though I don't blame you for feeling a bit alarmed when I rushed in. I thought some of you might know me, though some of you I've never seen, and Russ and Rose were smaller than they are now the last time I saw them."
"I didn't tell them you were coming," said Mrs. Bunker. "I hardly thought you would get here so soon, and I was planning a surprise, as I say. But we're very glad to see you. How did you get into the house and up here?"
"I walked in. The front door was open and——"
"I left it open to air the house."
"And as soon as I got in I heard a great racket up where I knew the attic must be, so up I rushed. I found the children all in a heap, and I pulled them apart as best I could."
"We were riding on a scooter I made from an older roller skate," explained Russ, "and it went off the ironing-board sideways and it bumped into everybody."
"I should say it did bump!" laughed Uncle Fred.
"But we're not hurt," added Laddie. "We're all right now. Can you answer riddles, Uncle Fred?"