He had heard the children and was coming to find them. Perhaps he thought they had forgotten Peter's sled.
"Oh, look, look!" said Polly. "Wag-wag has a sled, too. Let's give him a slide. Come here, Wag-wag. Come here, sir."
But Wag-wag would not come. Instead, he ran up the hill past Mrs. Howe. The children picked up their dish pans and chased him.
"Never mind," said mother. "When he is tired of playing with the sled, he may bring it back. Or you can go after it.
"Now good-by. Slide until the crust is soft. Then come in. Do you like the new game, children?"
"Oh, we do, we do!" they all cried.
"And we like our new sleds, mother. We are going to name them," said Polly.
"I am going to tell my mother not to wash dishes any more. I am going to tell her to give me her dish pan," said Tim.
The children slid for a long time. At last the crust began to be soft. They sank in a little at every step.
"I shall slide once more," Polly said. "Then I shall go home."