"But there isn't any little door now," interrupted Rudolf, "anyway, _I_ can't find it." He had taken a candle from the mantel-piece, had lighted it at the fire, and was making a careful search of the walls. No trace of a door or any opening except the fireplace could be seen. "It's a magic door," said Peter cheerfully. "Manunderthebed touched something with his foot and that opened it and then he pushed you and you pushed me and I bumped into Ann, and here we are." "He's shut us up on purpose!" cried Ann. "It's just like him." "He's shut us up to starve us into submission, like they do in books," said Rudolf gloomily. "I'm starved now," began Peter, "and that was the very _nicest_ pie!" But the other two were much provoked with Peter for having led them into such a fix, and they would not listen to him any longer. By Rudolf's orders, Ann lighted the other candle and both searched again with the greatest care for some trace of the secret door. At last Ann's sharp eyes spied not a door, but a small opening in the wall far above their heads, like a little round window not much bigger than a knothole. Rudolf climbed upon the table, but found he was hardly tall enough to look through, so he was obliged to hoist Peter upon his shoulders and let him have first look. When the little boy got his eye to the window he gave such a shout of surprise that he nearly knocked Rudolf and himself completely off the table. "Hush," warned his brother, "you mustn't make a noise! Can you see what the Bad Dreams are doing?" "Yes, I can see 'em," whispered Peter. "They're all sitting round the fire and Manunderthebed is making a speech." "What's he saying?" asked Ann anxiously. "I can't hear, but he's awful cross. Now the Little Black Man has gone--now he's come back again, and--oh!" "What is it? What is it?" cried Ann and Rudolf. "He's got three animals on a chain--a bear, an'--an'--a lion--an' a great big white wolf!" "Oh, Peter, darling, you _know_ they're only dream animals!" Ann hastily reminded him. "Well, they're most as nice as real ones, they're awful fierce--" "What's the Little Black Man doing with 'em?" interrupted Rudolf. "He's letting them loose," said Peter, "and they're smelling round--" "He's putting them by the tree to guard us--that's what he's doing," broke in Rudolf. "To swallow us up if we ever do escape!" wailed Ann, now thoroughly frightened. "Oh, Rudolf, whatever shall we do?" Rudolf hastily lowered Peter to the floor and got down off the table. "Ann," said he, "there must be another way out. In books there always are two ways out of secret rooms, and this," he added cheerfully, "is the bookiest thing that's happened to us yet. Come, let's look again for it." He and Ann began the search once more, going over and over the walls by the light of their candles, but without any success. Peter was nosing about by himself in a little recess by the fireplace, and soon the other two heard him give a gleeful chuckle.