“Well, this is certainly queer!” exclaimed Mr. Bobbsey, when at none of the houses was there any word of Flossie and Freddie.

“But what are we to do?” cried his wife.

“I think we’d better notify the police,” said Mr. Bobbsey.  “That will be the surest way.”

“Yes, I think it will,” agreed the auto man.  “I telephoned to the office, but they said no lost children had been turned in.  Get aboard, every one, and I’ll drive to the nearest police station.”

Away started the big auto, leaving Flossie and Freddie behind in the home of Tom Walker on the next street.  And though Mr. and Mrs. Bobbsey, with Nan and Bert and Billy and Nell were much worried, Flossie and Freddie themselves, were having a good time.

For they were playing with Tom, who showed them his toys, and he told them about the rabbits he used to keep.

“I have had as many as six big ones at a time,” Tom said.  “And I had one pair that had the finest red eyes you ever saw.”

“Red eyes!” cried Flossie.  “What funny rabbits they must have been!”

“Oh, I know some rabbits have red eyes,” declared Freddie.  “But not very many.  Bert said so.”

“I don’t believe I’d like to have red eyes,” answered his twin sister.  “Everybody’d think I’d been crying.”

“They’re not red that way,” explained Tom.  “They just have the color red in them; just as some people have black eyes, blue eyes, and brown eyes--like that.”

“Oh!  Say, I heard Nan say once that a girl in her room at school had one black eye and one grey eye.  Wasn’t that funny?”

“It certainly was,” answered Tom.  And then he showed the little Bobbsey twins a number of picture books and a locomotive which went around a little track.

Freddie and Flossie were having such a good time that they never thought their father and mother might be worried about them.

But, after a while, Mrs. Walker came home.  You can well imagine how surprised she was when she found the two lost, strayed children in her house.

“And so they got off one of the sight-seeing autos, did they?” cried Tom’s mother.  “Oh, my dears!  I’m glad you’re here, of course, and glad you had a good time with Tom.  But your mother and father will be much frightened!  I must telephone to the police at once.”

“We’ll not be arrested, shall we?” asked Freddie anxiously.

“No, indeed, my dear!  Of course not!  But your parents have probably already telephoned the police, who must be looking for you.  I’ll let them know I have you safe.”

“Why, course we’re safe!” cried Flossie.

So Mrs. Walker telephoned.  And, just as she guessed, the police were already preparing to start out to hunt for the missing children.  But as soon as they got Mrs. Walker’s message everything was all right.

“They’re found!” cried Mr. Bobbsey to his wife, when a police officer telephoned to the hotel to let the father of the small Bobbsey twins know that the children were safe.  “They’re all right!”