ut you and Laddie did wrong to go down to the fire without telling
Laddie's aunt," said Mr. Bobbsey to his small son. "You must never do it
again!"

"I never will," promised Freddie. "But I was rescued all right, wasn't I?"

"I guess so," and Mr. Bobbsey had to turn his head away so Freddie would
not see his smile.

Laddie, Flossie and Freddie soon became fast friends, and when the smaller
Bobbsey twins were not being taken about New York, to see what to them
were very wonderful sights, they were either playing in the rooms of Mrs.
Whipple or in their own at the hotel.

Bert and Nan were a little too old for this kind of fun, but they met, in
the same hotel, a brother and sister of about their own age--Frank and
Helen Porter--with whom they had good times.

Mr. Bobbsey had to spend many days looking after the business that had
brought him to New York, but Mrs. Bobbsey was free to go about with the
children. She took Nan and Bert shopping with her sometimes, leaving
Flossie and Freddie with Mrs. Whipple. This suited the small twins, for
Laddie and they were great friends and played well together.

Other times Bert and Nan would go to the park, or somewhere with the
Porter brother and sister, and Mrs. Bobbsey would take Flossie and Freddie
to a matinee or the moving pictures.

"Oh, I think New York is just the nicest place in the world," said Nan one
afternoon, after a trip she and Bert had had on top of a Fifth avenue
automobile stage, Frank and Helen Porter having gone with them.

"Yes, it is nice," agreed Bert "But it's nice in Lakeport, too. You can't
have fun riding down hill here, and the skating isn't as good as on our
Lake Metoka. And I haven't seen an ice-boat since we came here, except in
moving pictures. I wonder how Tommy Todd is making out with mine."

"Hasn't he written to you?" asked Nan.

"No; but he promised he would. Guess I'll write him a postal now and ask
him how the _Bird_ is sailing."

"And I'll write to some of the girls in Lakeport," said Nan.

I had forgotten to tell you that some time before this, Mr. Whipple, the
man who owned the store where Flossie's hat was bought the day the monkey
chewed up hers, had met the two smaller twins in his wife's rooms one day,
when Flossie and Freddie had come to play with Laddie.

"Why, those are the two little children who were on the elevated express,"
said the store owner, in surprise.

"That's so, you do know them, don't you?" returned Mrs. W