CHAPTER IV
MISS POMPRET'S CHINA
Bert and Nan looked at one another in some surprise as they stood in thedoor of their father's private office. What did he mean by saying thatthey were to come in and meet the "Washington children?" Who were the"Washington children?"
Nan and Bert were soon to know, for their father spoke again.
"Come on in. These are two of my twins, Mr. Martin," he added to thegentleman who was sitting near his desk. The two "Washington children,"looked up from the lumber books they had been reading. No, I am wrong,they had not been reading them--only looking at the pictures.
"Two of your twins?" repeated Mr. Martin, with a smile. "Do you mean tosay you have more twins at home?"
"Oh, yes, another set. Smaller than these. I wish you would see Flossieand Freddie. Come here, Bert and Nan. This is my friend, Mr. Martin," hecontinued, "and these are his children, Billy and Nell. They live inWashington, D.C."
So that was what Mr. Bobbsey meant. At first, Nan said afterward, shehad a little notion that her father might have meant the boy and girlwere the children of General George Washington. But a moment's thoughttold Nan that this could not be. General Washington's children,supposing him to have had any, would have been grown up into old men andwomen and would have passed away long ago. But Billy and Nell Martinlived in Washington, District of Columbia (which is what the lettersD.C. stand for) and, Bert and Nan knew, Washington was the capital, orchief city, of the United States.
"Mr. Martin came in to see me on business," explained Daddy Bobbsey. "Heis traveling for a lumber firm, and on this trip he brought his boy andgirl with him."
"They aren't twins, though," said Mr. Martin with a nod at Nan and Bert.
"I think it's lovely to be a twin!" said Nell, with a smile at Nan."Don't you have lots of fun?"
"Yes, we do," Nan said.
"I should think you could have fun in this lumberyard," remarked BillyMartin. "I'd like to live near it."
"Yes, we play in it," said Bert; and now that the "ice had been broken,"as the grown folks say, the four children began to feel betteracquainted.
"Did you come down for anything special?" asked Mr. Bobbsey of Bert.
"Yes, Daddy. Here's a letter mother gave us for you," the boy answered.
"Oh, this is the one I have been expecting," said Mr. Bobbsey to Mr.Martin. "Now we can talk business. Bert and Nan, don't you want to takeBilly and Nell out in the yard and show them the lake? But don't fallin, and don't climb on the lumber," he added.
"Oh, I'd love to look at the lake!" cried Nell.
"And I like to see big piles of lumber," said her brother Billy.
"The children will be all right," said Mr. Bobbsey, in answer to a lookfrom Mr. Martin. "My older twins often play about the lumberyard, andthey'll see that Billy and Nell come to no harm."
So while the two men talked over lumber matters, Bert and Nan showedBilly and Nell the sights of their father's lumberyard, and took theWashington children down to Lake Metoka, where the blue waters sparkledin 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, butnot as nice as this lake. Now let's go and look at the big piles oflumber."
"Yes, let's," echoed Nell.
The children tossed some chips into the lake, pretending they wereboats, and then they walked around the yard to where long boards andplanks were stacked into great piles, waiting to be taken away on boatsor wagons.
Bert asked one of the workmen if they could play with some of theboards, and, receiving permission to do so, they had fun makingsomething they called a house, and then on a see-saw.
"Oh, I always did love to see-saw!" said the little girl fromWashington. "We don't get much of a chance to play that way where I comefrom."
"We have see-saw rides lots of times down here," answered Nan.
"Well, that's Because your father owns a lumberyard, and you can getplenty of boards to use for a see-saw," said Henry.
For an hour or more Bert and Nan entertained the Washington children inthe lumberyard, and then, as it was getting close to dinner time, Nantold Bert they had better go back to their father's office.
They found Mr. Martin about to leave. And then Mr. Bobbsey thought ofsomething.
"Look here, Henry!" he exclaimed to his friend, "there's no need of yourgoing back to that hotel. Come out to the house--you and thechildren--and have dinner with me. I want you and your boy and girl tomeet 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 andBilly glowed in delight. "But, perhaps it might bother your wife."
"Oh, no!" laughed Mr. Bobbsey. "She likes company. I'll telephone outthat we're coming, and Dinah, that's our cook, will be delighted to getup 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 theWashington children very much.
"Oh, no, we can't stay later than this evening," said Mr. Martin. "I'vegot 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 loveFlossie--she's so cute!"
"I'll show you my dog Snap," said Bert to Billy. "You ought to have seenhim scare a strange dog just before we came down here."
"I like dogs," said Billy. "We could have one in Washington if we had abarn to keep him in."
"We've got a barn," went on Bert. "You ought to have seen what happenedthere this morning to Flossie and Freddie," and then he told about thelittle twins having been hidden under the hay.
Mr. Bobbsey's automobile was in the lumberyard, and in this the trip wasquickly made to the home of the four twins, after Mrs. Bobbsey had beentold, by telephone, that company was coming.
Nell and Billy were glad to see Flossie and Freddie, and the sixchildren had fun playing around the house and barn with Snoop and Snap.
Mr. and Mrs. Bobbsey wanted Mr. Martin to stay two or three days withhis children, but the Washington lumberman said it could not be donethis time.
"I'm on a business trip," he said, "and I can't spend as much time invisiting and pleasure as I'd like, though I am trying to give Billy andNell a good time. This is the first time I have ever taken them on atrip with me."
"And we've had such a lovely time!" exclaimed Nell.
"Packs of fun!" added her brother.
"I'm sorry we can't stay longer," went on Mr. Martin. "You folk mustcome to Washington some day."
"Yes, I expect to," said Mr. Bobbsey. "I've been counting on going theresome day on some business matters."
"Well, when you come be sure to bring the children," said the father ofNell and Billy. "I think they would enjoy seeing the White House, thebig Capitol building, the Congressional Library, Washington's home atMt. Vernon and places like that."
"Could we see the Washington Monument?" asked Nan. She rememberedlooking at a picture of that in her geography.
"Oh, yes, I'd show you that, too," said Mr. Martin.
"And could we see the Potomac River?" Bert wanted to know.
"Surely!" laughed Billy's father. "I'll show you all the sights ofWashington if you'll come and pay me a visit--all you Bobbsey twins!" headded.
"I wish we could go!" sighed Nan.
"Perhaps you can," said her father.
"Have you got any hay in Wash'ton?" asked Freddie, suddenly, and everyone else laughed except himself and Flossie.
"Oh, I guess I could find enough hay for you and your little sister tohide under," answered Mr. Martin with a laugh, for he had heard thestory of what had happened in the barn.
A little later Mr. Martin and his boy and girl had to leave. They said"good-bye," and while the father of the Washington children again askedMr. and Mrs. Bobbsey to come t
o visit him at his home, Nell and Billywhispered to Nan and Bert:
"Be sure and come, and bring Flossie and Freddie with you!"
"We will!" promised Nan, but neither she nor Bert guessed what a queerlittle adventure they were soon to have in Washington.
A few days later school opened, and the Bobbsey twins had to go back totheir class-rooms. At first they did not like it, after the long, joyousvacation on the deep, blue sea, but their teachers were kind, andfinally the twins began to feel that, after all, school was not such abad place.
Thanksgiving Day came, bringing a little vacation period, and afterchurch in the morning, the Bobbsey twins went home to eat roast turkeyand cranberry sauce. Then they went out to play with some of their boyand girl friends, having lots of fun in the barn and yard.
"But don't slide any more hay down on Flossie and Freddie!" begged Mrs.Bobbsey.
"We won't!" promised Bert and Nan, and they kept their word.
It was about a week after Thanksgiving, and Bert and Nan were on theirway home from school one day, when, as they passed a red brick house onthe street next to theirs, they saw, standing on the porch, apleasant-faced, elderly lady who was looking up and down the avenue.
"That's Miss Pompret," said Nan to Bert. "I heard mother say she wasvery rich."
"Is she?" asked Bert. "She looks kind of funny."
"That's 'cause she isn't married," returned Nan. "Some folks call her anold maid, but I don't think she's very old, even if her hair is white.Her face looks nice."
"Yes, but she looks kind of worried now," said Bert. "That's the waymother looks when she's worried."
They were in front of the house now, and could see Miss Pompret quiteplainly. Certainly the elderly lady did look as though somethingtroubled her.
"Good afternoon, Miss Pompret!" called Nan, as she was about to pass by.Bert took off his cap and bowed.
"Oh, you're half of the Bobbsey twins, aren't you?" asked Miss Pompret,with a smile. "I often see you go past. I only wish you were a littlebigger."
"Bigger? Why?" asked Bert, in some surprise.
"Why, then," explained Miss Pompret, "you might take this letter to thepost-office for me. It's very important, and I want it to go out on thismail, but I can't go to the post-office myself. If you Bobbsey twinswere bigger I should ask you to take it. Tell me, is the other set oftwins larger than you two?"
"No'm; they're smaller," explained Nan. "Flossie and Freddie are lotslittler than we are."
"But we're big enough to take the letter to the post-office for you,Miss Pompret," said Bert. He had often heard his father and mother speakof this neighbor, and the kindnesses she had done.
"Are you sure you are big enough to go to the post-office for me?" askedMiss Pompret.
"We often go for daddy and mother," said Nan.
"Well, then, if you think your mother wouldn't mind, I would like, verymuch, to have you go," said Miss Pompret. "The letter is very important,but I can not take it myself, as I have company, and I have no one, justnow, who can leave. I thought I might see some large boy on the street,but--"
"I'm big enough!" exclaimed Bert.
"Yes, I believe you are!" agreed the elderly lady, looking at himthrough her glasses. "Well, I shall be very thankful to you and yoursister if you will mail the letter for me. And, on your way back, stopand let me know that you dropped it in the post-office all right."
"We will!" promised Bert, and Nan nodded her head in agreement with him.Miss Pompret handed over the letter, which was in a large envelope. Nanand Bert were soon at the post-office with it.
The white-haired lady was waiting for them on the porch as they cameback along the street.
"Won't you come in, just for a minute?" she asked, smiling kindly atthem. "My maid has just baked a chocolate cake, and I don't believe yourmother would mind if you each had a piece."
"Oh, no'm--she wouldn't mind at all!" said Bert quickly.
"We like chocolate cake," said Nan, "but we didn't go to the post-officefor that!"
"Bless your heart, child, I know you didn't!" laughed their new friend."Please come in!"
The chocolate cake was all Bert and Nan hoped it would be, and besidesthat Miss Pompret set out on the table for them each a glass of milk.They looked around the beautiful but old-fashioned room, noting the darkmahogany furniture, the cut glass on the side-board, and, over in onecorner, a glass cupboard, through the clear doors of which could be seensome china dishes.
Miss Pompret saw Nan looking at this set of china, and the elderly ladysmiled as she said:
"Isn't it beautiful?"
"Yes," said Nan, softly. "I love pretty dishes."
"And these are my greatest treasure," said Miss Pompret. "I am veryproud of them. They have been in my family over a hundred years. Butthere is a sad story about it--a very sad story about the old Pompretchina." And the lady's face clouded.
"Did somebody break it?" asked Bert. Once he had broken a plate of whichhis mother was very proud, and he remembered how sad she felt.
"No, my china wasn't broken," said Miss Pompret. "In fact, there is asort of mystery about it."
"Oh, please tell me!" begged Nan. "I like nice dishes and I likestories."
She and Bert looked at the closet of choice china dishes. Childrenthough they were, they could see that the plates, cups, saucers andother dishes were not like the kind set on their table every day.
What could Miss Pompret mean about a "mystery" connected with her set ofchina?