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."

"I should say not!" cried Patty. "She thought it was a helmet. You must
take her for Joan of Arc."

"She didn't wear a helmet," said Elise, laughing.

"Well, she wore armour. They belong together. Anyway, Juliet doesn't know
but that Joan of Arc wore a helmet."

"Oh, is that what made her so sulky?" said Roger. "Nice disposition, I
must say."

"She's nervous," put in Kenneth, "and a little morbid, poor thing. Patty,
I think a little iron in the water would do her good."

"Send for a flatiron, Patty," said Roger. "I know it would help her, if
you set it carefully on top of her."

"I won't do it!" said Patty. "Poor Juliet is flat enough now. She doesn't
eat enough to keep a bird alive. Let's go away and leave her to sleep.
That will fatten her, maybe."

"Lullaby, Julie, in the fish-bowl," sang Roger.

"When the wind blows, the billows will roll," continued Elise, fanning
the water in the globe with a newspaper.

"When the bowl breaks, the fishes will fall," contributed Patty, and Ken
wound up by singing:

"And the Cat will eat Juliet, Darby, and all!"

"Oh, horrible!" cried Patty. "Indeed she won't! My beautiful pets shall
never meet that cruel fate."

Leaving Juliet to her much needed nap, they all strolled into the
library.

"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