“Really, Laddie boy, I should say there were almost a dozen questions there!” laughed Grandpa Ford.  “But I’ll answer only one now.  About the cats.  There is a kind called Manx, and that sounds like banks, I suppose.  Manx is an island, near England, and cats that come from there have no tails—­or at least they have only little short ones that you can hardly see.  I guess when your mother told you about the Manx cats you thought she said ‘banks.’  But now run along and have some fun.”

Grandpa Ford turned up the walk with Miss Ripley, and Laddie and Russ heard her say: 

“Father sent me over to tell you not to be alarmed, as he doesn’t believe it is anything.  He’ll come out and help you look for whatever it may be, if you want him to.”

“Oh, the six little Bunkers and their father and mother are coming with me,” said Mr. Ford.  “The six little Bunkers don’t know about the strange goings on, as yet, but their father and mother will help me hunt for the——­”

That was all Russ and Laddie heard, for their grandfather turned a corner in the path then, and his voice was not so loud.

“I wonder if they’re talking about a riddle,” said Laddie.

“I don’t guess so,” returned Russ.  He knew, or thought he knew, what Miss Ripley and Grandpa Ford were talking about.  It was the “secret” about which he and Rose had heard something.

But it was not yet time to tell Laddie anything about it.  Russ wished Rose had been with him to hear what Miss Ripley said.  Rose might know what it all meant.

“But we’ll wait until we get to Great Hedge,” thought Russ.  Then to Laddie he said:  “Come on, we’ll go and spend our nickels.”

“All right,” agreed the little boy.  “But I was pretty near right about the Banks cat; wasn’t I?”

“Pretty near,” agreed Russ.

When Russ and Laddie reached home again, after a trip to the store, they found Miss Ripley had gone.  And then, for a time, Russ, as well as Rose, forgot about the “secret,” as the whole family, six little Bunkers and all, were so busy packing up to go away.

At last, after some weeks, the day came.  The trunks and valises had been packed, the house in Pineville had been shut for the winter, the water being turned off so it would not freeze, and everything was all ready for the winter visit to Grandpa Ford at Great Hedge.

“Good-bye, Norah!  Good-bye, Jerry Simms!” called the six little Bunkers, waving their hands to the cook and man.  “Good-bye!”

“Good-bye!” answered Jerry and Norah.  “Come back as soon as you can!”

And so they started for Grandpa Ford’s.  And not even Russ and Rose, who guessed a little of the “secret,” knew all the strange things that were to happen at Great Hedge.

CHAPTER VII

MUN BUN TAKES SOMETHING

The trip to Grandpa Ford’s was to last all day.  The six little Bunkers, with their father and mother, had taken the railroad train about nine o’clock in the morning, and they would reach Tarrington, in New York State, about five in the evening.