n a state of robust health
and high spirits.

"We ran in, Jean--positively one has time for nothing these days--just
to wish you a Happy New-Year though a fortnight of it is gone. And how
are you? I do hope you had a very gay Christmas, and loads of presents.
Muriel quite passed all limits. I told her I was quite ashamed of the
shoals of presents, but of course the child has so many friends. The
Towers was full for Christmas. Dear Gordon brought several Cambridge
friends, and they were so useful at all the festivities. Lady Tweedie
said to me, 'Mrs. Duff-Whalley, you really are a godsend with all these
young men in this unmanned neighbourhood.' Always so witty, isn't she?
dear woman. By the way, Jean, I didn't see you at the Tweedies' dance,
or the Olivers' theatricals."

"No, I wasn't there. I hadn't a dress that was good enough, and I didn't
want to be at the expense of hiring a carriage."

"Oh, really! We had a small dance at The Towers on Christmas night--just
a tiny affair, you know, really just our own house-party and such old
friends as the Tweedies and the Olivers. We would have liked to ask you
and your brother--I hear he's home from Oxford--but you know what it is
to live in a place like Priorsford: if you ask one you have to ask
everybody--and we decided to keep it entirely County--you know what I
mean?"

"Oh, quite," said Jean; "I'm sure you were wise."

"We were so sorry," went on Mrs. Duff-Whalley, "that dear Lord
Bidborough and his charming sister couldn't come. We have got so fond of
both of them. Muriel and Lord Bidborough have so much in common--music,
you know, and other things. I simply couldn't tear them away from the
piano at The Towers. Isn't it wonderful how simple and pleasant they are
considering their lineage? Actually living in that little dog-hole of a
Hillview. I always think Miss Bathgate's such an insolent woman; no
notion of her proper place. She looks at me as if she actually thought
she was my equal, and wasn't she positively rude to you, Muriel, when
you called with some message?"

"Oh, frightful woman!" said Muriel airily. "She was most awfully rude to
me. You would have thought that I wanted to burgle something." She gave
an affected laugh. "I simply stared through her. I find that irritates
that class of person frightfully ... How do you like my sables, Jean?
Yes--a present."

"They are beautiful," said Jean serenely, but to herself she muttered
bitterly, "Opulent _lumps_!