“I hope Alice’s ankle will be well before the next meeting,” said Miss Ruth, when they were at last ready to start.
“It will be quite well in a week, unless she is careless, or takes cold,” Mrs. Holt replied. “I am sure she is most grateful to the Club, as I am, for your coming here.”
Ben, who had driven Jerry up to the front door and come in to warm his hands, carelessly picked up a sofa pillow in passing, and shied it at Alice. “That’s just to show Peggy that she must keep quiet, no matter what happens,” he said in answer to his mother’s reproving: “Why, Ben!”
Betty had sprung to Alice’s defence, and for a moment she and Ben had a lively pulling contest over the pillow. Elsa looked on in surprise; not having any brothers or sisters, she was not used to that kind of fun and hardly knew what to make of it.
Suddenly Betty dropped her corner of the pillow. “Excuse me,” she said to Mrs. Holt; “I forgot. Ben threw that pillow at Alice just the way Max throws one at me sometimes, and I have to defend myself.”
“You will have a lively time to-night, Mrs. Holt,” Ruth Warren said, with a sober face and smiling eyes.
“Children must be children,” Mrs. Holt replied with an answering smile. “It is better for Alice to have things a little lively than to lie here and feel lonely. But I think that she and Betty will be studying over to-day’s lessons after supper.”
“O, mamma! with my lame ankle!” protested Alice. And Betty’s face fell a little.
“Yes, dear, you must study awhile; it will not hurt your ankle. You say that Betty is always ahead of you in your classes, so she can be the teacher.” Mrs. Holt said this partly to cheer Betty and partly so that Elsa would not go away thinking that the visit she was missing would be all pleasure.
“We haven’t any more dolls’ dresses to make, Miss Ruth,” Alice said, handing to her a pile of neatly folded little light-coloured garments. “What shall we do next?”