life. Flowers,
of course! Jack always buys me flowers; and books--books--books:
Longfellow, Hawthorne, Whittier, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and some
glorified guides in volume form. I said, "Are we to carry all these in
the car? We shall be boiling over with books, swamped with books, buried
under books as Tarpeia was under the shields and bracelets!" But Jack
had made his plans. They will be sent home to Awepesha by the hotel
people when we go, and we are to have the comfort of them here. As
nobody else will have any books, they'll offer Pat an excuse to drop in
on us--Peter, too. Jack ought to give "penny readings," I think!

I haven't, by the way, got any satisfaction out of Peter. We are
partners in the Caspian-Shuster plot, but _his_ plot he keeps to
himself. I wonder what, from all I have told you, Mercedes, _you_ think
of him?

In spite of everything, Jack and I believe that he's _all right_, and
vaguely we look for a Great Surprise, though of what nature we cannot
say. I wish it would come before we get into Aunt Mary-land. I begin to
need something to brace me up!

Love! Ever your MOLLY.

XXII

MOLLY WINSTON TO MERCEDES LANE

_Still Boston._

DEAR ONE:

I was wishing for a surprise, and it came. But it hasn't explained
anything. It has only thickened the plot--thickened it like porridge
made of Boston beans.

I didn't mean to inflict another letter upon you quite so soon; but I'm
so full of the surprise--and "beans," too--heavenly Boston ones, very
brown, and crisp on top--that I can't wait.

My last night's budget was posted to you only this morning early, when
Jack and I were going out to discover what every (other) man and woman
knows about the Hub of the Universe. All day long we were so busy seeing
and doing things in this delightful, intimate personality that I lost my
Stormy Petrel emotion in a crowd of other emotions. Usually when we stop
anywhere, and are not in the car most of the day, Mrs. Shuster finds
work for Peter to do. She and ex-Senator Collinge give him sheafs of
notes to elaborate into letters or articles for the papers which
propagate their ideas. I think--and have thought from the first--that
this plan of campaign is more to please the Ally (Caspian) than from any
pressing need for such work to be done _en route_. Mrs. Shuster
impulsively engaged Storm before Caspian met