“Now first let me hear all about what happened at school to-day,” said Mr. Bobbsey, who had come home to dinner.

“Oh, no!” laughed Nan.  “We want to hear the wonderful news first!”

“Oh, all right!” laughed her father.  “Well, then, how would you all like to go off on a trip?”

“A trip?” cried Bert.  “A real trip?  To Florida?”

“Well, hardly there again so soon,” replied his father.

“Do you mean a trip to some city?” asked Nan.  “In a steamboat?” cried Freddie.  “I want to go on a boat!”

“Yes, I think perhaps we can go on a boat,” said Mr. Bobbsey.

“And in a train, too!” exclaimed Flossie.  “I want to go on a train!”

“And I suppose, if we take this trip, we’ll have to go on a train, also,” and Mr. Bobbsey looked over the heads of the children and smiled at his wife who stood in the doorway.

“But you haven’t told us yet where we are going,” objected Nan.

“Is it to New York?” Bert wanted to know.

“Part of it is,” his father replied.

“Oh, is it two trips?” Nan asked.

“Well, not exactly,” answered Mr. Bobbsey.  “You might say it has two parts to it, like a puzzle.  The first part is to go on a trip to New York, and from there we’ll go on a trip to—­I’ll let you see if you can guess.  Come on, Bert, your turn first.”

“To Uncle William’s!” guessed Bert.

“No,” answered his father.  “Your turn, Nan.”

“To Uncle Daniel’s at Meadow Brook.”

“No,” and her father smiled at her.

“I know!” cried Freddie.  “We’re goin’ on the houseboat.”

“Wrong!” said Mr. Bobbsey.  “Now what does my little fat fairy have to say?”

“Are we going swimming?” asked Flossie, who loved to splash in the water.

“Hardly!” laughed Daddy Bobbsey.  “It’s too cold.  Well, none of you has guessed right, so I’ll tell you.  We’re going to Washington to visit the Martin children who were here a while ago.”

“Oh, to Washington!” cried Nan.  “How nice!”

“And shall we see Billy and Nell?” Bert wanted to know.

“Yes,” his father answered, “that’s what we’ll do.  I had a letter from Mr. Martin the other day, inviting us all to come to his house to pay him a visit,” he went on.  “I didn’t know just when I could go, but to-day I got another letter from another man in Washington, saying he wanted to see me about some lumber business.  I may have to stay a week or two, so I thought I would take the whole family with me, and make a regular visit of it.”

“Will you take us all?” asked Freddie.

“Yes.”

“And Snap and Snoop an’ an’—­” began Flossie.

“Well, hardly the dog and the cat,” explained her father.  “Just mother, you four twins and I will go to Washington.”

“When can we start?” Nan asked.

“As soon as your mother can get you ready,” replied Mr. Bobbsey.