said Mr. Bobbsey. "If the tramp took them he must have sold them, if he
didn't smash them. So don't think of that hundred dollars, Bert and
Nan."

"But couldn't we go to Washington, anyhow?" Bert wanted to know.

"Well, not right away, I'm afraid," his father answered. "You have to go
to school, you know."

But a few days after that something happened. About eleven o'clock in
the morning Bert, Nan, Flossie and Freddie came trooping home. Into the
house they burst with shouts of laughter.

"What's the matter? What is it? Has anything happened?" cried Mrs.
Bobbsey. "Why are you home from school at such a time of day?"

"There isn't any school," explained Nan.

"No school?" questioned her mother.

"And there won't be any for a month, I guess!" added Bert. "Hurray!"

"What do you mean?" asked his surprised mother. "No school for a month?"

"No, Mother," added Nan "The steam boiler is broken and they can't heat
our room. It got so cold the teacher sent us home."

"An' we came home, too'" added Flossie. "We couldn't stay in our school
'cause our fingers were so cold!"