Out in the grove the Japanese lanterns were lighted and Great Aunt Charlotte was passing out trays of food to several girls in white who were serving. Muffs pulled her mother’s hand.
“There’s the Bramble Bush Man and he’s standing all alone. Let’s go over and talk with him.”
“Not now, dear,” Mrs. Moffet said in a strange voice. Then she walked swiftly away leaving Muffs there with Mary and Tommy.
“She didn’t stay for the ice cream!” they exclaimed all at once.
“No matter how grown-up I get,” Mary said, “I’m sure I’ll always stay for ice cream.”
“Shucks! We can go over and talk to the Bramble Bush Man anyway,” declared Tommy. “He didn’t have a chance to explain about the house disappearing.”
“He said magicians don’t explain their tricks.”
“But that wasn’t part of the show. Say, Mary! Maybe he made the house disappear the same way he did that trick with you. You promised to tell us.”
“I’d show you,” she said, “only I don’t know how to get in there under the stage now that the table is closed up again.”
“What do you mean?” asked the other two.