f the race, Nan asked
Bert:

"What are you going to do some day?"

"Oh, I don't know. I haven't got it all thought out yet. I'll tell you
after a bit."

"Is it a secret?" asked Nan, eagerly.

"Sort of."

"Oh, please tell me!"

"Not now. Come on, skate faster!"

Bert and Nan skated on ahead, knowing that Flossie and Freddie would try
to keep up with them, and so would get home more quickly. But they did not
leave the smaller twins too far behind.

A little later the Bobbseys were safe at home. Tommy Todd went to his
grandmother's house, and Flossie and Freddie took turns giving their
mother an account of their escape from the ice-boat.

"Was there really any danger?" asked Mrs. Bobbsey of Bert.

"Well, maybe, just a little. But I guess Mr. Watson would have stopped in
time. He's a good ice-boat sailor."

"But don't let Flossie and Freddie get so far away from you another time.
They might have been hurt."

Bert promised to look well after his little sister and brother, and then,
having asked his mother if she wanted anything from the store, he said he
was going down to his father's lumberyard.

"What for?" asked Nan, as she saw him leaving. "Is it about the secret?"

"Partly," answered Bert with a laugh.

Two or three days later the Bobbseys were again out skating on the ice,
Nan and Bert keeping close to Freddie and Flossie. They had not been long
gliding about when Freddie suddenly called:

"Oh, here comes that ice-boat again!"

"Surely enough, it is!" added Nan. "Oh, we must skate toward shore! Come
on!"

"No need to do that," replied Bert. "It isn't coming fast, and Mr. Watson
sees us."

"He's waving his hand at us!" cried Flossie. "I guess he wants to give us
a ride. Come on, Freddie!"

"Here! Wait a minute!" called Bert "Don't get into any more danger. But I
believe he _is_ going to stop," he went on, as the ice-boat came slowly up
to them. Then, as it swung up into the wind, with the sail loosely
flapping, Mr. Watson called:

"Come on, children, don't you want to go for a ride?"

"Oh, let's!" cried Flossie, clapping her hands.

"And I want to steer!" added Freddie.

"No, you can't do that!" exclaimed Nan. "Oh, Bert, do you think it would
be all right for us to go?" she asked her older brother.

"I don't see why not," said Bert. "The wind doesn't blow hard, and Mr.
Watson knows all about ice-boats. I say let's go!"

"Oh, what fun!" cried Flossie and Freddie.

They took off their