pected him of wanting Pat to
hear what he had done: but no, on the contrary. He asked us both to
promise that the matter shouldn't be mentioned to her.

"I've done nothing," he said. "I shall get my money back from you in a
day or two." And he handed over to Jack ten one-hundred-dollar bills
which I suppose went down with him in the _Lusitania_ and the _Arabic_,
and bobbed up again. I couldn't help seeing that when they came out they
left his wallet as empty as the whale after it had disgorged Jonah. I
did hope he had pennies in other pockets, or that his salary from Mrs.
Shuster was going to begin in advance.

After my cousin died and left Awepesha to me, Jack and I decided to keep
all the servants on, anyhow until we'd made our visit to America. That
being the case, we'd wired to the house the day and probable time of our
arrival in New York, and the chauffeur had come for us with a
respectable elderly automobile which (as the estate agents say) "went
with the place." The chauffeur was (is) elderly and respectable, too,
evidently transferred by the fairy wand of Circumstance from the
box-seat of a carriage to the wheel of a car. We took poor forlorn
little Pat and pouting Angele to Awepesha with us, instead of carrying
them a mile farther on; and then, without waiting for half a glance at
his new domain, Jack nobly undertook a voyage of discovery to Kidd's
Pines.

What he found out there and the decision of the war council I must wait
to tell you till my next letter. I do want this to catch the first ship
bound for England, home, and beauty, otherwise you'll think me
ungrateful for that ten-dollar telegram. And I'm not--I'm not!

We both send love to you and dear old Monty.

Ever your
M.

III

THE HONBLE MRS. WINSTON TO THE COUNTESS OF LANE

_Awepesha, Long Island,_
_March 25th._

DEAREST MERCEDES:

I don't know whether or not I ought to take it for granted that you and
Monty are hanging breathlessly on the fate of Patricia Moore; but I
suppose I'm subconsciously judging you by Jack and myself. We think,
talk, dream, eat, drink, nothing except her business in one form or
other!

I meant to write you (about the one absorbing subject, of course) a day
or two after I closed my last letter, which was a sort of "to be
continued in my nex