they could not go swimming.

Kit took a stick and broke the ice. Thin sheets of it, like
pieces of broken glass, were soon floating about; and the old
goose, the gander, and all the goslings went down the bank in a
procession into the water.

They swam about among the pieces of ice for a while, but it was
so cold that they soon came up on the bank into the sun again and
wiggled their tails to shake out the water. Then they all sat
down in the sun to get their feet warm.

Kit and Kat ran up and down the road and played tag until their
cheeks were red and they were warm as toast. Then they ran into
Vrouw Vedder's warm kitchen.

The kettle was singing on the fire, and there was a smell of
coffee in the air. Vrouw Vedder gave the Twins some in a large
cup. She put in a good deal of milk and gave them each a piece of
sugar to sweeten it with.

"Is it Sunday?" asked Kat. On Sundays they sometimes had coffee.
On other days they had milk.

"No," said Vrouw Vedder; "but it is cold, and I thought a cup of
coffee would warm us all up."

While they were drinking their coffee, Kit and Kat talked about
the ice, and what fun they would have with their sleds on the
canals when winter came.