Mr. Bobbsey found that the garage man was right. The automobile was in need of repairs, and had the party gone on, without noticing the break, a bad accident might have happened. "Oh, dear!" sighed Mrs. Bobbsey, when told of the news, "must we stay here all night?" "Unless I hire another auto, or you and the children go on by train," said her husband. "I shall have to stay here to bring our car on." "Oh, I don't want that! No, we'll stay at the hotel. But what about him?" she asked in a low voice, pointing to Bob Guess, who was talking to the twins. "That's so. We can't turn him adrift," Mr. Bobbsey agreed. "Well, I'll get a room for him at the hotel. In the morning I can decide what to do. I don't like to send him back to Blipper. But if the man has adopted him he has a claim on the boy. We'll see what happens by morning." Mrs. Bobbsey may have disliked to break the journey and stay at a strange hotel, but the Bobbsey twins thought it great fun. The hotel was a small country one, clean and neat, and the Bobbseys and Bob Guess were about the only guests there. "I'm not fit to stop at a hotel," said the ragged boy. "Oh, you're all right," said Mr. Bobbsey. "Perhaps I can get you some clothes here. If there isn't a store that sells them I may be able to get you a second-hand suit from the hotel keeper." As it happened, there was no clothing store in the village of Montville, where the stop was made. But the hotel proprietor had some clothes of one of his sons who had gone to the city to work. Bob was given a partly worn but very good coat and trousers. "He's a nice looking boy when he's dressed well," said Mrs. Bobbsey, as the lad discarded his old clothes. "Yes," agreed her husband. "He has a good, honest face. And yet, when I think of my coat and the lap robe---- But I'll wait until I see Blipper." "Do you think you will see him?" "Yes, I imagine he'll follow this boy. He's a hard worker, Bob is, and Blipper won't want to lose him. I shouldn't wonder but what he came on after Bob." "How will he know where to find him?" asked Bert, who heard what his father and mother said. "Oh, he can make inquiries along the way. But I'll do what I can for Bob." Bert and Nan, with Flossie and Freddie, had good times at the country hotel. Their rooms were on a long corridor, and the twins raced up and down this, playing tag and other games. No one seemed to mind. At supper Bob ate a good meal, but did not talk much. And every time the dining room door opened he looked around quickly, as if fearing to see Mr. Blipper come in. In the evening Mr. Bobbsey went down to the garage to see how the men were progressing with the repairs to his car, for they had promised to work all night. Bert went with his father. "I guess you'll be able to go on in the morning, Mr. Bobbsey," the garage man said. "I hope so. My youngsters are anxious to get to Meadow Brook, and from there go to the Bolton County Fair."