g. There was little danger, however, that they would call for a
drink of water or anything else that night, for as they were not in the
least sure of nurse's sympathy in their midnight vigil, they had agreed
to go to bed as quiet as mice and watch their chance of slipping
unobserved to the library, where their pets spent the night. Long after
nurse had gone down stairs, and when the house was very, very still,
Carrie sat up in bed and gently called her brother, who slept in a
little room of his own adjoining the nursery.

"Louis! Louis!" she said.

"Oh, don't bother," answered Louis. "It won't be midnight for ever so
long."

"But if we stay in bed we shall go to sleep. Hope is half asleep now."

"No, I'm not sleepy," said little Hope, "and I'm going to get my kitty
and go right down to the library this very minute." She rolled out of
bed, and went to the basket in the corner where kitty was fast asleep,
and bundled her up in her little fat arms.

The children all started to creep down stairs, but they shrank back a
little from the dimly lighted hall below, which somehow did not look a
bit as it did in the daytime. "Come on," said Louis, who felt very grand
as the protector of his sisters; "I've brought my new bow and arrow, and
if there is a villain there, you'll see how quick I'll lay him out. I'm
not afraid, anyway, where Fritz is," he added, half to himself. They
marched along very softly, their little bare feet sinking into the soft
velvet carpet. Louis went boldly ahead with his bow and arrow. Carrie
followed, her jet-black hair streaming down over her white night dress,
and little Hope came close behind, hugging her white kitty, who winked
in astonishment at this strange proceeding. When they reached the
library, Fritz, who was stretched on the Turkish rug before the grate,
in which a piece of English coal was burning slowly, rose to his feet,
amazed at the unusual sight; but he was too lazy for a frolic at that
hour, and after a soft "wuf-wuf" he lay down and went to sleep again.
The library was dimly lighted, and wore an air of wonder and mystery to
the now excited children. Rique, the canary, was curled into a little
round yellow ball, and paid no attention to his visitors. Lorito, who
was perched in a big gilded cage in the corner, had his beak buried in
his feathers and his eyes shut fast. He opened his eyes, however, when
the children came near, and put down his head to be rubbed, but after a
few sleepy