“The children will be all right,” said Mr. Bobbsey, in answer to a look from Mr. Martin.  “My older twins often play about the lumberyard, and they’ll see that Billy and Nell come to no harm.”

So while the two men talked over lumber matters, Bert and Nan showed Billy and Nell the sights of their father’s lumberyard, and took the Washington children down to Lake Metoka, where the blue waters sparkled in the sun.

“Oh, this is lovely!” exclaimed Nell.  “It’s nicer than Washington!”

“Don’t you have a lake there?” asked Bert.

“No; but we have the Potomac River,” answered Billy.  “That’s nice, but not as nice as this lake.  Now let’s go and look at the big piles of lumber.”

“Yes, let’s,” echoed Nell.

The children tossed some chips into the lake, pretending they were boats, and then they walked around the yard to where long boards and planks were stacked into great piles, waiting to be taken away on boats or wagons.

Bert asked one of the workmen if they could play with some of the boards, and, receiving permission to do so, they had fun making something they called a house, and then on a see-saw.

“Oh, I always did love to see-saw!” said the little girl from Washington.  “We don’t get much of a chance to play that way where I come from.”

“We have see-saw rides lots of times down here,” answered Nan.

“Well, that’s Because your father owns a lumberyard, and you can get plenty of boards to use for a see-saw,” said Henry.

For an hour or more Bert and Nan entertained the Washington children in the lumberyard, and then, as it was getting close to dinner time, Nan told Bert they had better go back to their father’s office.

They found Mr. Martin about to leave.  And then Mr. Bobbsey thought of something.

“Look here, Henry!” he exclaimed to his friend, “there’s no need of your going back to that hotel.  Come out to the house—­you and the children—­ and have dinner with me.  I want you and your boy and girl to meet Flossie and Freddie, and I want you to meet Mrs. Bobbsey.”

“Well, I’d like to,” said Mr. Martin slowly, while the eyes of Nell and Billy glowed in delight.  “But, perhaps it might bother your wife.”

“Oh, no!” laughed Mr. Bobbsey.  “She likes company.  I’ll telephone out that we’re coming, and Dinah, that’s our cook, will be delighted to get up something extra.  They’ll be glad to see you.  Come out to the house, all of you, and make me a nice visit.  Can’t you stay a day or so?”

Eagerly Nan and Bert waited for the answer, for they liked the Washington children very much.

“Oh, no, we can’t stay later than this evening,” said Mr. Martin.  “I’ve got other business to look after.  But I’ll come out to dinner with you.”

“Oh, we’ll have lots of fun!” whispered Nan to Nell.  “You’ll just love Flossie—­she’s so cute!”

“I’ll show you my dog Snap,” said Bert to Billy.  “You ought to have seen him scare a strange dog just before we came down here.”