ut with Papa. Miss
Naylor says he is unhappy, but I think he does not take enough exercise;
and O Chris! one day he said to me, 'That is your sister, Mademoiselle,
that young lady in the white dress? Does she always wear white dresses?'
and I said to him: 'It is not always a white dress; in the picture, it is
green, because the picture is called "Spring.' But I did not tell him
the colours of all your dresses because he looked so tired. Then he said
to me: 'She is very charming.' So I tell you this, Chris, because I
think you shall like to know. Scruff' has a sore toe; it is because he
has eaten too much meat.

"It is not nice without you, Chris, and Miss Naylor says I am improving
my mind here, but I do not think it shall improve very much, because at
night I like it always best, when the shops are lighted and the carriages
are driving past; then I am wanting to dance. The first night Papa said
he would take me to the theatre, but yesterday he said it was not good
for me; perhaps to-morrow he shall think it good for me again.

"Yesterday we have been in the Prater, and saw many people, and some that
Papa knew; and then came the most interesting part of all, sitting under
the trees in the rain for two hours because we could not get a carriage
(very exciting).

"There is one young lady here, only she is not any longer very young, who
knew Papa when he was a boy. I like her very much; she shall soon know
me quite to the bottom and is very kind.

"The ill husband of Cousin Teresa who went with us to Meran and lost her
umbrella and Dr. Edmund was so sorry about it, has been very much worse,
so she is not here but in Baden. I wrote to her but have no news, so I
do not know whether he is still living or not, at any rate he can't get
well again so soon (and I don't think he ever shall). I think as the
weather is very warm you and Uncle Nic are sitting much out of doors. I
am sending presents to you all in a wooden box and screwed very firm, so
you shall have to use again the big screw-driver of Fritz. For Aunt
Constance, photographs; for Uncle Nic, a green bird on a stand with a
hole in the back of the bird to put his ashes in; it is a good green and
not expensif please tell him, because he does not like expensif presents
(Miss Naylor says the bird has an inquiring eye--it is a parrat); for
you, a little brooch of turquoise because I like them best; for Dr.
Edmund a machine to weigh medicines in because he said