n drops as large as
half-crowns. I only wish _my_ half crowns, or even my shillings, were as
plentiful! But perhaps they will be, some day before long--who knows? I
do hope Ellaline won't take it into her head to appear at the last
minute before we get off, and complicate things. Not that I won't be
equal to disposing of her if she does! But no! here is Young Nick, very
meek and soapy. He has got his petrol. Emily Norton reluctantly puts
down a twenty-year-old volume of Blackwood which she has found in the
hotel library. We are off. Good-bye--and good luck.

Gwen.

XXIII

AUDRIE BRENDON TO HER MOTHER

_Tintagel_,
_August 13th_

Dearest Lodestar: I can feel you drawing me across miles of
land and sea, and if only I could travel on a telepathic pass I would
start this minute, Ellaline or no Ellaline. Toward her and Sir Lionel I
feel as Mercutio felt toward the Montagus and Capulets: "A plague on
both your houses!" Nobody seems to care what becomes of me. Why should I
care what becomes of them?

Everything is too horrid and too extraordinary to-day. I got into the
wrong side of bed last night, and got out again on the wrong side this
morning. It happened to be the only side there was, as the bed stands
against the wall in an alcove, where it can't be pulled out; and nobody
could expect me to bound like a kangaroo over the foot, could they? But
there are times in life when every side of everything is wrong; and this
is one of those times with me--has been since dinner last night, when
Sir Lionel grinned with joy at the prospect of shunting me upon the
Tyndal family for a day. (When you are friends with people they smile;
when you are out with them, they grin.)

Well, this morning I thought I wouldn't hurry to get down. I felt, if
Mrs. Senter beamed at me from under her becoming motor-hat at starting,
I should do her a mischief, and if Emily smirked inoffensively I should
throw Murray in her face. As for Sir Lionel--words fail to express what
I believed myself capable of doing to him. I could have stolen his car,
in which he appeared to grudge me a seat, and have gone off with it into
space to be a motor pirate. Whence can I have inherited these vicious
tendencies? Truly, I never supposed I had them before; but you don't
know yourself until people have practically accused you of taking up too
much room in their old automobiles, although you're perfectly aware that
you are less than eighteen inches wide at y