"I'd rather be back at the seashore," said Bert, not turning his gaze
from the window, for the train was passing along some fields just then,
and in one a boy was driving home some cows to be milked, as evening was
coming on. Bert was wondering if one of the cows might not chase the
boy. Bert didn't really want to see the boy hurt by a cow, of course,
but he thought that if the cow was going to take after the boy, anyhow,
he might just as well see it. But the cows were very well-behaved, and
went along slowly.

"Yes, the seashore was nice," murmured Nan, as she leaned her head back
on the cushioned seat, "but I'm glad to be going home again. I want to
see some of the girls, and -"

"Yes, and I'll be looking for some of the boys, too," put in Bert. "But
school will soon begin, and that's no fun!"

Mr. and Mrs. Bobbsey smiled at each other, and Mr. Bobbsey, taking out a
timetable, looked to see how much longer they would be on the train.

"It's about an hour yet," he said to Nan, and she sighed. Really she
was more tired than she cared to let her mother know.

Just ahead of the two Bobbsey children were another set of them. I say
"set" for the Bobbsey children came "in sets."

There were two pairs of twins, Bert and Nan, nearly nine years of age,
and Flossie and Freddie, almost five. And, whereas the two older
children were rather tall and slim, with dark brown hair and eyes, the
littler twins were short and fat, and had light hair and blue eyes. The