“I suppose I could board here in Bellemere,” suggested Mart.

“You can stay right here—­you and Lucile!” cried Mrs. Brown.  “Our house is plenty large enough, and there’s lots of room.  Do stay here—­at least until you locate your uncle and your aunt.”

“That’s very kind of you,” said Lucile softly, and she reached over and stroked Sue’s curls.

“Oh, goodie!” cried Bunny, when he understood that his father was going to hire Mart Clayton to work in the office at the dock.  “Then you can help us get up the show.”

“Well, I’ll do all I can,” promised Mart.

“And I’ll help, too,” added Lucile.

“If you can find a place for me, Mr. Brown, I’ll make the same promise,” said Mr. Treadwell.  “I don’t care much about going back to New York, and if Mart and Lucile stay here I’d like to stay, too, and sort of look after them.  I’ll try to help them find their missing folks.”

“I guess I can find work for you,” said Mr. Brown.  “Do you know anything about the fish or boat business?”

“Very little, I’m afraid.  I once worked as a bookkeeper in a piano factory, though, if that would help any,” he said.

“Keeping books is just what I want done,” said Mr. Brown.  “So you can have a place in my office.  The man I have is going to leave, and you may take his place.  He also has a room with Mr. Winkler and his sister, and you could get board there.”

“That suits me all right, and thank you very much,” said Mr. Treadwell.  “I’ll send over to Wayville and get what little baggage I have.  But will it be all right for me to board at Mr. Winkler’s?” he asked.

“Oh, yes.  They’ll be glad to have you.”

“And you can see Mr. Winkler’s monkey Wango and the parrot all the while!” cried Bunny Brown.

“That will be a treat!” laughed Mr. Treadwell.

So it was settled that both Mr. Treadwell and Mart would work for Mr. Brown.  The man who pretended to be George Washington and other great men would board with the old sailor and his sister, while Mart and Lucile would live with the Browns.

“And we’ll have lots of fun!” said Sue to Lucile.

“And will you show me how to make flipflops?” asked Bunny of Mart.

“Yes,” answered the boy actor and acrobat, “I will.”

While Lucile remained at Mrs. Brown’s house, Mart, with Mr. Brown and the impersonator went over to Wayville to get the baggage of the theatrical folk.  Mr. Brown was going to pay the board bills.  Bunny and Sue wanted to go also, but their father said: 

“I’ll take you along when we go to look at the scenery.  You’d only be in the way now, and wouldn’t have a good time.”

That night Lucile and Mart stayed at the Brown house, which was to be their home for some time, and Mr. Treadwell went to board with the Winklers.

“And when you come over in the morning tell us all about the monkey and parrot!” begged Bunny, as the actor started for his boarding place that evening.