never left the farm. But that's a narrow, provincial view
to take. Now that I'm back again I'm caught once more in the whirl.
Everybody is entertaining, as if in a frantic endeavor to be surfeited
before Lent and thus be able to endure the dullness of that period of
suspended social activities. The harrowing tales of suffering France
and Belgium have occasioned Benefit Teas and Benefit Bridges and
Benefit Dances, all for the aid of the war sufferers. Royal usually
takes me to the social affairs. I enjoy being with him. He's the most
entertaining man I ever met. He has traveled in Europe and all over our
own country and can tell what he has seen. He attracts attention,
whether he speaks or plays or is just silent. One day he said it would
be a pleasure to travel with me, I enjoy things so and can appreciate
their beauty. I could scarcely resist telling him how I'd enjoy
traveling with a man like him. Oh, I dream wild dreams sometimes, but I
really must stop doing that. The present is too wonderful to go
borrowing joy from the future.

_February 2._

I'm all in a fluster. I have to write here what happened to-day. If I
had a mother she could help and advise me but an adopted mother, even
one as dear and near as Mother Bab, won't do for such confidences.

Royal and I were sitting alone before the open fireplace. It's a
dangerous place to be! The glowing fire sends such weird shadows
flickering up and down. Its living fire is sometimes an entreating Circe
waking undesirable impulses, then again it's a spirit that heals and
inspires. I love an open fire but to-day I should have fled from it and
yet--I think I'm glad I didn't.

I looked up suddenly from the gleaming logs--right into the eyes of
Royal. His voice startled me as he said, with the strangest catch in his
voice, that my eyes are bluer than the skies. I tried to keep my voice
ordinary as I lightly told him that some other person once told me they
are the color of fringed gentians--could he improve on that?

"You little fairy!" he cried. "I can beat that! They are blue as
bluebirds!" Then he went on impetuously, telling me I was a real
bluebird of happiness, a bringer of joy; that the ancients called the
bluebird the emblem of happiness, but he knew the blue of my eyes was
the real joy sign--or something like that he said. It startled me. I
tried to tell him he must not talk like that but my words were us