With equal silence Bert crawled out of bed. Close at hand stood his base-ball bat, which he had used a few days before. It made a formidable club, and he took hold of it with a good deal of satisfaction. "Want another piece of strawberry shortcake," came to his ears. "Please give me another piece of strawberry shortcake." Bert could hardly believe his ears. It was the ghost that was speaking! It wanted strawberry shortcake! "Freddie!" he almost shouted. "Freddie, is it you?" The ghost did not answer, but turned towards the door leading into the hallway. Bert ran after the figure in white and caught it by the arm. The ghost was really Freddie, and he was walking in his sleep, with his eyes tightly closed. "Well, I declare!" murmured Bert. "Why didn't we think of this before?" "Please let me have another piece of strawberry shortcake, mamma," pleaded the sleep-walker. "Just a tiny little piece." Bert had heard that it was a bad thing to awaken a sleep-walker too suddenly, so he took Freddie's arm very gently and walked the little fellow back to his bedroom and placed him on his bed. Then he shook him very gently. "Oh!" cried Freddie. "Oh! Wha--what do you want? Let me sleep! It isn't time to get up yet." "Freddie, I want you to wake up," said Bert. "Who is talking?" came from across the hallway, in Mr. Bobbsey's voice. "I'm talking, papa," answered Bert. He ran to the doorway of his parents' bedchamber. "I've just found out who the ghost is," he continued. "The ghost?" Mr. Bobbsey leaped up. "Where is it?" "In bed now. It was Freddie, walking in his sleep. He was asking for another piece of strawberry shortcake." By this time the whole household was wide awake. "Oh, Freddie, was it really you?" cried Nan, going to the little fellow. "Wasn't walking in my sleep," said Freddie. "Was dreaming 'bout shortcake, that's all. Want to go to sleep again," and he turned over on his pillow. "Let him sleep," said Mrs. Bobbsey. "We'll have to consult the doctor about this. He will have to have something for his digestion and eat less before going to bed in the future." And the next day the doctor was called in and gave Freddie something which broke up the sleep-walking to a very large extent. "I am glad you caught Freddie," said Nan, to her twin brother. "If you hadn't, I should always have believed that we had seen a ghost." "Glad I don't walk in my sleep," said Flossie. "I might tumble downstairs and break my nose." "I shall watch Freddie in the future," said Mrs. Bobbsey, and she did. When Bert went to school the next day he met Danny Rugg and the tall boy glared at him very angrily. "Think you are smart, don't you?" said Danny. "I'm not going to stand it, Bert Bobbsey." "Oh, Bert, come along and don't speak to him," whispered Nan, who was with her twin brother. "Went and saw Ringley, didn't you?" went on Danny, edging closer.