From a scraping and kicking against the log wall I judged that they had quickly dropped to the ground outside.

The younger one, the giggler, remained fascinated, but ready to fly at a moment's warning.
"Come here, Johnny, boy," I repeated gently.

"I want you to go to your mother, please, and tell her"-- But here the child, who had been working its face convulsively, suddenly uttered a lugubrious howl and disappeared also.

I ran to the front door and looked out in time to see the tallest girl, who had received me, walking away with it under her arm, pushing the boy ahead of her and looking back over her shoulder, not unlike a youthful she-bear conducting her cubs from danger.

She disappeared at the end of the extension, where there was evidently another door.
It was very extraordinary.