The smaller twins had seen one of the passengers with a pet dog in a blue silk-lined basket, and they had followed her around the deck to the other side of the ship, away from their parents, to get a better look at the poodle. It was a pretty and friendly little animal, and the children had been allowed to pat it. So they forgot what their mother had said to them about not going away.
“Well, don’t do it again,” warned Mr. Bobbsey, and Flossie and Freddie said they would not.
By this time the big ship was well on her way down New York Bay toward the Statue of Liberty, which the children looked at with wondering eyes. They took their last view of the tall buildings which cluster in the lower end of the island of Manhattan, and then they felt that they were really well started on their voyage.
“Oh, I hope we have lots of fun in Florida!” said Nan. “I’ve always wanted to go there, always!”
“So have I,” Bert said. “But maybe we won’t stay in Florida long.”
“Why not?” his sister asked.
“Because didn’t father say Cousin Jasper wanted us to take a trip with him?”
“So he did,” replied Nan. “I wonder where he is going.”
“That’s part of the strange news he’s going to tell,” said Bert. “Anyhow we’ll have a good time.”
“And maybe we’ll get shipwrecked!” exclaimed Freddie, who, with his little sister Flossie, was listening to what the older Bobbsey twins were saying.