"Let's be a club," said Elise. "Just us four, you know." "All right," said Patty, who loved clubs. "What sort of a club?" "Musical," said Elise. "We all sing." "Musical clubs are foolish," said Roger. "Let's be a dramatic club." "Dramatic clubs are too much work," said Patty; "and four isn't enough for that, anyway. Let's do good." "Oh, Patty," groaned Kenneth, "you're getting so eleemosynary there's no fun in you!" "Mercy, gracious!" cried Patty. "_What_ was that fearful word you said, Ken? No! don't say it over again! I can't stand all of it at once!" "Well, we have to stand you!" grumbled Kenneth, "and you're _that_ all the time, now. What foolishness are you going to fly at next, trying to earn a dishonest penny?" "I'm thinking of going out as a cook," said Patty, her eyes twinkling. "Cooking is the only thing I really know how to do. But I can do that." "You'll be fine as cook," said Roger. "May I come round Thursday afternoons and take you out?" "I s'pose I'll only have every other Thursday," said Patty, demurely. "And the other Thursday you won't be there! But what about this club we're organising?" "Make it musical," said Kenneth, "and then while one of us is playing or singing some classical selection, the others can indulge in merry conversation." "You may as well make it the Patty Club," said Elise, "as I suppose it will always meet here." Though not really jealous of her friend's popularity, Elise always resented the fact that the young people would rather be at Patty's than at her own home. The reason was, that the Fairfield house, though handsomely appointed, was not so formally grand as the Farringtons', and there was always an atmosphere of cordiality and hospitality at Patty's, while at Elise's it was oppressively formal and dignified. "Oh, pshaw," said Patty, ignoring Elise's unkind intent; "I won't have you always here. We'll take turns, of course." "All right," said Elise; "every other week at my house and every other week here. But don't you think we ought to have more than four members?" "No, I don't," declared Kenneth, promptly. "And we don't want any musical nonsense, or any dramatic foolishness, either. Let's just have fun; if it's pleasant weather, we'll go skating, or sleighing, or motoring, or whatever you like; if it isn't, we'll stay indoors, or go to a matinee or concert, or something like that." "Lovely!" cried Elise. "But if we're to go to matinees, we'll have to meet Saturdays." "Or Wednesdays," amended Patty. "Let's meet Wednesdays. I 'most always have engagements on Saturdays." "All right; shall we call it the Wednesday Club, then?" "No, Elise," said Roger, gravely. "That's too obvious; we will call it the Thursday Club, because we meet on Wednesday; see?" "No, I don't see," said Elise, looking puzzled. "Why," explained Roger, "you see we'll spend all day Thursday thinking over the good time we had on Wednesday!"