CHAPTER XIII
THE THURSDAY CLUB
As Patty was temporarily out of an “occupation,” she went skating the next day with the Farringtons and Kenneth. Indeed, the four were so often together that they began to call themselves the Quartette.
After a jolly skate, which made their cheeks rosy, they all went back to Patty’s, as they usually did after skating.
“I think you might come to my house, sometimes,” said Elise.
“Oh, I have to go to Patty’s to look after the goldfish,” said Kenneth. “I thought Darby swam lame, the last time I saw him. Does he, Patty?”
“No, not now. But Juliet has a cold, and I’m afraid of rheumatism setting in.”
“No,” said Kenneth; “she’s too young for rheumatism. But she may have ‘housemaid’s knee.’ You must be very careful about draughts.”
The goldfish were a never-failing source of fun for the Quartette. The fish themselves were quiet, inoffensive little creatures, but the ready imagination of the young people invested them with all sorts of strange qualities, both physical and mental.
“Juliet’s still sulky about that thimble,” said Roger, as they all looked into the fishes’ globe. “I gave her Patty’s thimble yesterday to wear for a hat, and it didn’t suit her at all.”