Patty's Success Part 29

"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 cla.s.sical 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 Sat.u.r.days."

"Or Wednesdays," amended Patty. "Let's meet Wednesdays. I 'most always have engagements on Sat.u.r.days."

"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!"

"But that isn't the real reason," said Patty, giggling. "The real reason we call it the Thursday Club is because it meets on Wednesday!"

"That's it, Patsy!" said Ken, approvingly, for he and Patty had the same love for nonsense, though more practical Elise couldn't always understand it.

"Well, then, the Thursday Club will meet here next Wednesday," said Patty; "unless I am otherwise engaged."

For she just happened to think, that on that day she might be again attempting to earn her fifteen dollars.

"What's the Thursday Club? Mayn't I belong?" said a pleasant voice, and Mr. Hepworth came in.

"Oh, how do you do?" cried Patty, jumping up, and offering both hands.

"I'm so glad to see you. Do sit down."

"I came round," said Mr. Hepworth, after greeting the others, "in hopes I could corral a cup of tea. I thought you ran a five-o'clock tea-room."

"We do," said Patty, ringing a bell nearby. "That is, we always have tea when Nan is home; and we can just as well have it when she isn't."

"I suppose you young people don't care for tea," went on Mr. Hepworth, looking a little enviously at the merry group, who, indeed, didn't care whether they had tea or not.

"Oh, yes, we do," said Patty. "We love it. But we,--we just forgot it. We were so engrossed in organising a club."

But the others did not follow up this conversational beginning, and even before the tea was brought, Elise said she must go.

"Nonsense!" said Patty; "don't go yet."

But Elise was decided, so away she went, and of course, Roger went too.

"And I'm going," said Kenneth, as Patty, having followed Elise out into the hall, he joined them there.

"Oh; don't you go, Ken," said Patty.

"Yes, I'd rather. When Hepworth comes you get so grown-up all of a sudden. With your 'Oh, how do you do?' and your _tea_."

Kenneth mimicked Patty's voice, which did sound different when she spoke to Mr. Hepworth.

"Ken, you're very unjust," said Patty, her cheeks flushing; "of course I have to give Mr. Hepworth tea when he asks for it; and if I seem more 'grown-up' with him, it's because he's so much older than you are."

"He is, indeed! About twelve years older! Too old to be your friend. He ought to be calling on Mrs. Fairfield."

"He is. He calls on us both. I think you're very silly!"

This conversation had been in undertones, while Elise was donning her hat and furs, and great was her curiosity when Patty turned from Kenneth, with an offended or hurt expression on her face.

"What's the matter with you two?" she asked, bluntly.

"Nothing," said Ken, looking humble. "Patty's been begging me to be more polite to the goldfish."

"Nonsense!" laughed Patty; "your manners are above reproach, Ken."

"Thanks, fair lady," he replied, with a Chesterfieldian bow, and then the three went away.

"Did I drive off your young friends, Patty?" said Mr. Hepworth, as she returned to the library, where Jane was already setting forth the tea things.

Patty was nonplussed. He certainly had driven them away, but she couldn't exactly tell him so.

"You needn't answer," he said, laughing at her dismayed expression. "I am sorry they don't like me, but until you show that you don't, I shall continue to come here."

"I hope you will," said Patty, earnestly. "It isn't that they don't like you, Mr. Hepworth; it's that they think you don't like them."

"What?"

"Oh, I don't mean exactly that; but they think that you think they're children,--almost, and you're bored by them."

"I'm not bored by you, and you're a child,--almost."

"Well, I don't know how it is," said Patty, throwing off all responsibility in the matter; "but I like them and I like you, and yet, I'd rather have you at different times."