York to Mrs. Lemaire of Washington,
unsealed and unstamped._

Friday.

My Dear Mrs. Lemaire:

I am very happy to introduce to you Mr. Hamilton-Locks, of London, a
friend of mine, who goes to Washington for the first time. I know I am
giving you both a pleasure in bringing you together, and any courtesy
you may be able to extend to Mr. Hamilton-Locks will be as if shown to
me also.

Always sincerely,

EMILY JOSLYN.

II

_A second Letter from Mrs. Joslyn to Mrs. Lemaire, sent with a
special delivery stamp._

Friday.

My Dear Mrs. Lemaire:

I gave a letter of introduction to you to a young Englishman this
morning. I hasten to write, and beg you, as far as I am concerned, to
pay no attention whatever to it. He was sent over to us by Lady Heton,
a traveling acquaintance, whom we know really nothing of, and it's been
a great bother trying to be civil and everything else to him. I felt
obliged to give him the letter, but you will understand by this that
you are to ignore it quite as much as you like. He is no friend of ours
whatever, merely an acquaintance that has been forced upon us.

We hear you are having such a gay season in Washington. We think of
taking a house there for next winter. Can you manage to keep out of the
political set if you want to? I don't mind ambassadors, but I should
think all the other people would be most ordinary. I suppose you will
come on for the Makeway Ball; won't you? If so, do lunch with me the
day after; don't forget.

Yours, ever sincerely,

EMILY JOSLYN.

III

_Letter from Mrs. Lemaire to Mrs. Joslyn._

Wednesday.

My dear Mrs. Joslyn:

Where is your young Englishman? I adore young Englishmen, and why
doesn't yours come to see me? Did you give him the letter? He has been
in Washington a week, is constantly at the P----'s, and all the
diplomatic corps are entertaining him. The women are mad about him,
he's so awfully good-looking.

If you want a house in Washington next winter why not rent ours? We are
going to Rome in December.

Yours, always cordially,

GERTRUDE LEMAIRE.

IV

_Letter from Mr. Hamilton-Locks to the Hon. Forbes Redding._

WASHINGTON, January, '97.

My dear Old Chap:

This place is a very good sort, rather like a little English Paris;
more cosmopolitan than Boston, I mean, tho' no other city here seems
quite so lively as New York. The embassy is giving me no end of a good
time. I'm sure I'm more than grateful to your uncle. I fi