his difficulty.

"We can't go through the kitchen either, for we might be seen," said
she. "Besides, the kitchen steps would be too high for us."

Andy was thinking.

"If we could find a long enough stick, we could carry it with us; then
we could slide down it. After that it would be easy."

So they hunted for a stick and finally found one that looked as if it
would do, but it was all they could do to get it into the basement
opening. Once in, however, it was easily pulled down the chute to the
edge of the drop below. Andy and Hortense lowered it carefully until
the end rested on the bottom.

"Hooray," said Andy. "It's long enough."

And climbing onto it, he slid down and was soon out of sight.

"All right," he shouted a moment later, "I'm down."

Hortense then took hold, and with Andy steadying the stick at the
bottom, she soon slid down and stood behind him.

Hand in hand they ran down the dark passage that led to the little
door. It seemed a long way, and when they arrived, the little door
seemed as big as any ordinary door. Andy pulled at the latch and swung
it open, and there before them was the shining tunnel that curved out
of sight. They stood a moment looking at it.

"Where do you suppose it goes?" Andy asked.

"It must go to the Little People," said Hortense. "Nobody else could
use it."

"We'll find out, at any rate," said Andy, and together they ran down
it.

It curved and curved and grew brighter and brighter as they ran, always
a little downhill.

"I believe there's no end to it," said Hortense after they had gone
what seemed a long way.

"There must be," said Andy. "Why I believe this is the end, and it's
raining."

They came into what seemed to be a large cave whose roof was high above
them, and from the roof water was dripping as fast and as thick as
rain. The cave was as bright as moonshine and the drops sparkled as
they fell. Through the falling drops, far on the other side of the
cave, they saw a bright opening like the one through which they had
come.

"We must run across," said Hortense, and hand in hand they dashed
through the rain and into the little tunnel which was just like the one
they had left, except that it began to slope up instead of down and
soon was quite steep. As they paused for breath after climbing a long
distance, Hortense, who had been thinking hard, said to Andy, "Do you
know, I believe the cave with the falling water was under the brook,
and now on this s