"I know mother wouldn't like us to be in in
it or out in it. I'm going to knock at the door of that house this
minute and ask if they won't let us stay there till the storm's over."
"All right," said Rudolf, "only I hope the people who live there don't
happen to be any relation of the Warming-pan."
It was a dreadful thought. The three children looked at the house and
hesitated. Then Rudolf laughed, drew his precious sword, which he had
fastened into the belt of his pajamas, and mounted the steps, the
others following behind him.
"You be all ready to run," he whispered, "if you don't like the looks
of the person who comes. Now!" And he knocked long and loud upon the
blue and white striped door.
[Illustration]
[Illustration]
CHAPTER III
A VISIT TO THE GOOSE
The door flew open almost before Rudolf had stopped knocking, but
there was nothing very alarming about the person who stood on the
threshold. Ann said afterward she had thought at first it was a Miss
Spriggins who came sometimes to sew for her mother, but it was not; it
was only a very large gray goose neatly dressed in blue and white
bed-ticking, with a large white apron tied round her waist and wearing
big spectacles with black rims to them.
"Nothing to-day, thank you," said the Goose.
"But please--" began Rudolf.
"No soap, no baking powder, no lightning rods, no hearth-brooms, no
cake tins, no life insurance--" rattled the Goose so rapidly that the
children could hardly understand her--"nothing at all to-day, _thank_
you!"
"But _we_ want something," Ann cried, "we want to come in!"
"I never let in peddlers," said the Goose, and she slammed the door in
their faces.
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