"I want to help too," put in Freddie, "Want to make a cake all by my own self."
"Freddie can make a little cake while we make a big one," said Bert.
It was on an afternoon just a week before Christmas and Mrs. Bobbsey had gone out to do some shopping. Dinah was also away, on a visit to some relatives, so the children had the house all to themselves.
It was Bert who spoke about cake-making first. Queer that a boy should think of it, wasn't it? But Bert was very fond of cake, and did quite some grumbling when none was to be had.
"It ought to be easy to make a nice big plain cake," said Bert. "I've seen Dinah do it lots of times. She just mixes up her milk and eggs and butter, and sifts in the flour, and there you are."
"Much you know about it!" declared Nan. "If it isn't just put together right, it will be as heavy as lead."
"We might take the recipe out of mamma's cook-book," went on Bert; and then the cry went up with which I have opened this chapter.
The twins were soon in the kitchen, which Dinah had left spotlessly clean and in perfect order.
"We mustn't make a muss," warned Nan. "If we do, Dinah will never forgive us."
"As if we couldn't clean it up again," said Bert loftily.