Early next morning Humpty Dumpty woke up and rolled out of bed, as usual.
He looked out of the window and cried, “Wake up, everybody, wake up! Here comes Grandpa Grimes.”
Then Teddie and Freddie woke up and looked out of the window and cried, “O Ma, O Pa, do wake up! Here comes Grandpa Grimes.”
Then Mama and Papa Roly-Poly woke up and looked out of their window, and there, sure enough, was Grandpa, coming along the road.
He carried three packages in his arms.
“I wonder why he comes so early,” said Mama.
“I wonder what he has in his arms,” said Humpty Dumpty.
Mama Roly-Poly said, “Hurry up, Papa, and let Grandpa Grimes in.”
The little Roly-Polys began to dress as fast as they could, but everything seemed to go wrong.
Freddie said, “I can not find my coat.”
Teddie said, “I can not button my shoes.”
Humpty Dumpty rolled over and over.
He said, “I can not dress in a hurry.”
Grandpa Grimes came in, and set on the lowest step of the staircase.
He called out, “Get dressed, you little rascals! Get dressed, every one of you!”
Then Freddie cried, “I can’t find my collar,” and Teddie cried, “I can’t find my neck-tie,” and Humpty Dumpty cried, “Do, please, help me, somebody!”
All the time Grandpa Grimes sat chuckling softly to himself.
At last, the Roly-Poly family were all dressed and down-stairs.
Then the children shouted, “What have you in your bundles, Grandpa? what have you in your bundles? Please let us see!”
“Not a peep into the bundles,” said Grandpa, “until every one has finished his oatmeal.”
All the little Roly-Polys sat down and ate their oatmeal.
Papa Roly-Poly said, “No one has come to buy our house.”
Then the most surprising thing happened.
Grandpa Grimes got up and bowed three times and looked over his spectacles and said, “I know some one who will take your house.”
“Who is it? who is it?” cried all the Roly-Polys, and—will you believe it?—it was fully ten minutes before Grandpa could hear himself speak.
Then Grandpa said, “I will take your house. I will move in to-morrow morning.”
“Who will keep house for you?” asked Papa.
Grandpa Grimes made another bow and said, “I have asked Little Red Riding Hood to keep house for me.”
The little Roly-Polys were all so excited that they did not know what to do.
They cried out, “O Ma, may we stay at home? O Pa, please let us stay at home! We wish to see Little Red Riding Hood!”
“How very strange!” said Papa Roly-Poly.
“How very extraordinary!” said Mama Roly-Poly.