“What is it?” she asked, when grandma had gone out into the kitchen to get some more bread and butter.

“Hush!  Don’t tell anyone,” whispered Bunny.  “But we’ll go and look for him and bring him back.”

“Bring who back?”

“Ben Hall.  We’ll go look for him, Sue.”

“But we don’t know where to find him.”

“We’ll take Splash,” announced Bunny.  “Splash likes Ben, and our dog will find him.  We’ll go right after breakfast.”

And as soon as they had brushed their teeth, which they did after each meal, Bunny Brown and his sister Sue started out to find Ben Hall, who had run away from the circus the day before.

Bunny and Sue did not want to go very far away from grandpa’s house.  They, themselves, had been lost a number of times, and they did not want this to happen again.  But they thought there would be no harm in just walking across the meadow where Ben had last been seen.  From the meadow grandpa’s house was in plain sight, and if Bunny and Sue did not stray into the wood, which was at the further side of the meadow, they could not lose their way.

“I hope we can find Ben,” said Sue.

“So do I,” echoed Bunny.  “Come on Splash, find Ben!”

The big dog barked and ran on ahead.

Bunker Blue, and some of the boys who had helped get up the circus, were now taking down the big tent.  It was to be folded up, put on a wagon, and taken to the town hall where it was kept when not in use.

“I’m going to be a circus man when I grow up,” said Bunny, as he looked back, and saw the white tent fluttering to the ground, as the ropes holding it up were loosened.

“I’m not,” said Sue.  “I—­I’d be afraid of the wild animals.  I’m just going to ride in an automobile when I get big.”

“You can ride in mine,” offered Bunny.  “I’m going to have an automobile, even if I am a circus man.”

Over the meadow went the two children and Splash their dog, looking for Ben Hall.  But they did not see him, nor did they see the strange man who had run after him out of the tent.  Bunny and Sue went almost to the patch of woodland.  Then they turned back, for they did not want to get lost.

“I guess we can’t find him,” said Bunny sadly.

“No,” agreed Sue.  “Let’s go back.”

When the children reached grandpa’s house again, the big tent was down, and Bunker and the other boys were gone.  They were taking the tent back.  The smaller tent—­the one Grandpa Brown had loaned—­was still up.

“Let’s go in it and rest,” said Bunny.  “We can make believe we are camping out.”

“All right,” agreed Sue.

Into the tent they went.  All the wooden boxes, that had been used as cages for the make-believe wild animals, had been taken out.  There was only some straw piled up in one corner.

“Watch me jump!” cried Bunny.  He gave a run and landed on something in the pile of soft straw.  Something in the straw grunted and yelled.  Then some one sat up.  Bunny Brown rolled over and over out of the way.