‘The mothers are at home,’ said he. ‘I can see the smoke rising from the chimneys and I think I can smell baking bread.’ ‘Let us go down into the town,’ said Kindheart, ‘and look about. Santa Claus said there might be work to do.’ Down in the town the three little Brownies walked quietly along, past the neat houses, past the gay flower-beds, until they came to a little shop, and here the Brownies stood stock still on the sandy road. It was a Candy Shop. At least a big sign over the door said so. But the blinds were pulled down and the door was shut tight and there was a card in the window that read NO CANDY SOLD HERE The Brownies looked at one another. Sweet-Tooth’s face wore a horrified look. He couldn’t speak. He managed to peep under the window-shade, but all the window held was a dismal row of empty glass candy jars. ‘It must be there are no children in the Town,’ said Silvertongue in a low voice. And Kindheart and Sweet-Tooth could only nod their heads in reply. A few steps beyond the Candy Shop they came upon another little store. ‘TOY SHOP’ was painted on the window. But here too the blinds were down and the door locked fast and thick dust covered the doorstep and the window-ledge. Kindheart stood on tiptoe and read a card tacked on the door. NO TOYS SOLD HERE ‘What can be the matter?’ whispered the Brownies. ‘Who ever heard before of a Town where no children lived?’ Down on the beach crept the Brownies and here strange signs were sprinkled as thick as blackberries wherever they might look. NO PADDLING ON THIS BEACH said a bright blue sign stuck in the sand here and there. The Brownies read this aloud and tears came into gentle Kindheart’s eyes. ‘I never saw a better beach for paddling,’ said he, wiping away his tears with the back of his hand. ‘Listen to this!’ cried Silvertongue, standing before a scarlet sign that was repeated all along the shore. NO SAND BUILDING ALLOWED read the scarlet sign in great black letters that all could see. ‘What about this?’ called Sweet-Tooth, capering before a green sign over which he had just stubbed his toe. NO DIGGING ON THIS BEACH ‘That is what the sign says. But I can’t believe it. I am going straight through this Town until I see what they have done with the children here.’ The Brownies did not have far to go to find the children. A stone’s throw from the beach stood the school-house, a dingy red brick building with a tall iron fence all roundabout. Under the fence squeezed the Brownies. They wanted to read a great golden sign over the school-house door. THIS SCHOOL OPEN FROM NINE UNTIL SIX O’CLOCK Sweet-Tooth read the sign aloud and would have tumbled to the ground in his surprise if Silvertongue and Kindheart had not caught him by the arm. ‘That means all day!’ gasped Sweet-Tooth. ‘They have to go to school all day!’