ome
entangled in the folds of a giant's robe.

The Banksia rose that climbed over the verandah of the Crow's Nest had
shed its first crop of blossoms. The border below was strewn with
bright petals of storm-scattered flowers; while above the dank pines
dripped and drooped beneath the dead weight of universal moisture. The
far-off glory of the mountains was blotted out, as though it had never
been; and the doll's house, with its subsidiary group of native huts,
had the aspect of a dwelling in Cloudland. From within came the plash
of water falling drop by drop, suggesting a vision of zinc tubs, pails,
and basins, set here, there, and everywhere, to check the too complete
invasion of the saturated outer world.

Just outside the drawing-room door, heedless of the mist that hung
dewdrops on her lashes, and on blown wisps of hair, Quita stood,
devouring with her eyes a damp note, handed to her a minute since by
one of Mrs Desmond's _jhampannis_.

"DEAR MISS MAURICE"--(it ran)--"At last I am allowed to write and
say--Come. Not this afternoon, because he had quite a long outing this
morning in that blessed spell of sunshine; and he is sound asleep after
it, has been for an hour and more; or of course he would send a line
with this himself. Come to dinner. Half-past seven. Then you can
have a long evening together without keeping him up too late. For Theo
is still high-handed with him about sleep and rest. But really he has
made astonishing progress since we got him over here. Dr O'Malley is
quite comically elated over his recuperative power. Says he has seldom
seen such a rapid and vigorous convalescence after concussion; and
takes more than half the credit to himself; but I am convinced that it
is you who are mainly responsible for it. He says little enough, even
to Theo. Yet one can see how impatient he is to be well again, because
of you; and that's half the battle. Though perhaps my prosaic zeal for
concentrated food of all kinds deserves to be taken into account!
Theo, who is reading every word of this over my shoulder--in spite of
my insistence on the privacy of _all_ correspondence!--wishes to point
out that his own genius for nursing is really at the bottom of it.
(_N.B._--This is simply because he wants you to be extra charming to
him to-night!) But apart from all my nonsense, the point remains that
among us all we have done great things in less than three weeks. Come
and see for yourself, and we c