orgotten what it was, only
he's got a bet with Godbold's nephew about it. Guy--you mustn't be
jealous that we call him Guy because he really is very nice--has
just been in to tea. Margaret is a darling, but I wish you'd take
my advice and write more about her when you write. Of course I
don't know what you do write, and I'm sure she really is
interested in your bridge, but of course you must remember that
she's not used to the kind of bridges you're building. But she's a
darling and I'm simply longing for you to be married so that I can
come and stay with you when I'm an old maid which I've quite made
up my mind I'm going to be. Guy has been gardening with Father a
good deal. Father says he's _fairly_ intelligent. Isn't Father
sweet? He drank your health at dinner the other night without
anybody's reminding him it was your birthday. I think Guy likes
Monica best. I don't think he cares at all for Margaret except of
course he must admire her--Margaret is such a darling! Oh, a merry
Christmas because it will be Christmas before you get this letter.
Percy Brydone and Charlie Willsher came to dinner last month. They
were so touching and bored.

Lots of love from Your loving
PAULINE.

Don't forget about writing to Margaret more about herself.

Pauline put the letter in its crackling envelope with a sigh for the
unformed hand in which it was written. Nothing brought home to her so
nearly as this handwriting of hers the muddle she was always apt to make
of things. How it sprawled across the page, so unlike Monica's that was
small and neat and exquisitely formed, or Margaret's that was decorated
with fantastic and beautiful affectations of manner. It was obvious, of
course, that her sisters must always be the favorites of everybody, but
it had been rather unkind of Guy to avoid her so obviously to-day.
Richard had always realized that even if she were impulsive and foolish
she was also tremendously sympathetic.

"For I really am sympathetic," she assured her image in the glass, as
she tried to make the light-brown hair look tidy enough to escape
Margaret's remonstrances at dinner. If Guy were hopelessly in love with
Margaret, how sympathetic she would be; and she would try to explain to
him how interesting an unhappy love-affair always made people. For
instance, there was Miss Verney, whom everybody thought was just a
cross o