The children had been playing in the attic about an hour, the boys at their soldiering game and the girls at visiting, when Rose came to Bunny and Charlie with a queer look on her face.

“What’s the matter?” asked Charlie.  “Have you had a fuss and stopped playing?”

“No, but I can’t find Sue anywhere.”

“Can’t find Sue!” exclaimed Bunny.  “Where is she?”

“That’s just what I don’t know.  I was playing I was Mrs. Johnson, and she was to be Mrs. Wilson and call on me.  When she didn’t come I went to look for her, but I couldn’t find her in her house.”

“Which was her house,” asked Bunny.

“This big trunk,” and Rose pointed to a large one in a distant corner of the attic.

“Sue!  Sue!  Are you in there?  Are you in the trunk?” cried Bunny.

The children, listening, seemed to hear a faint call from inside the trunk.  They looked at one another with startled eyes.  What could they do?

CHAPTER XXII

THE HERMIT COMES FOR TOM

“Are you sure she came over here?” asked Bunny Brown.

“Sure,” answered Rose.  “You see this was her pretend house, and mine was over there under the string of sleigh bells.”  She pointed to where several small trunks had been drawn together to form a square.  Some old bed quilts had been laid over to make a roof, and under this Rose received visits from her friend Sue, who went by the name of Mrs. Wilson.

“When did you last see her?” asked Charlie.  “Maybe she went downstairs.”

“No, she didn’t, for I saw her opening the big trunk and taking clothes out to dress up in.  Besides she couldn’t get downstairs, for you boys pulled two trunks in front of the stairs for a fort.”

“So we did,” said Charlie.  “She couldn’t have gone down without moving the trunks, and they haven’t been moved.”

“Well, then she must be up here somewhere,” said Bunny.  “Maybe she’s shut up in the big trunk.”

“That’s dreadful!  Call and let’s see if she is in there,” said Rose.

Bunny went close to the big trunk—­the largest, in the attic—­and then he called as loudly as he could: 

“Are you in there, Sue?”

Back came the answer, very faintly: 

“Yes, I’m here, Bunny!  Please get me out!  I’m locked in!”

“She’s locked in!” cried Charlie.  “We must open the trunk and get her out!  Come on, Bunny!”

Both boys grasped the lid of the trunk.

“Why it’s locked!” cried Rose.  “You can’t open it without unlocking it.  Let’s see if we can find some keys.”

Eagerly the children ran about the attic, taking keys from all the trunks they saw.  But either these keys did not fit in the locked one where Sue was shut up, or the fingers of Bunny, Rose and Charlie were too small to fit them properly in the locks.

“We’d better call Mrs. Preston,” said Bunny, for he could hear Sue crying now, inside the trunk.  And Sue was a brave little girl, who did not often cry.