ery small family?"

"Oh no, we are rather a large family" responded Gladys, "perhaps I had
better tell you our names or you wont understand the news."

"Yes please do" pleaded Helen.

"Well I have three brothers and three sisters," said Gladys, "Lionel is
the eldest of the family, he's about 25 or 26 I think, then there is
Wilelmina, we always call her Minna, she is 24, then Lawrence is about
23 I fancy. I am the next, and I suppose you know I have just come of
age. Ethel and Elsie (the twins) are just 19, and Hugh is the youngest,
he is between 17 and 18."

"You all seem to have very fanciful names" said Helen.

"Do we?" said Gladys "well Mother is just that kind you know, her name
being Ethelreda Aurora, I suppose she thinks we ought to have fancy
names."

"Yes I suppose so" replied Helen, "I certainly think you have sweet
names, Ethel and Elsie are very nice for twins, are they pretty?"

"Ethel and Elsie?" asked Gladys "oh yes fairly so they are both fair you
know."

"You must be a fair family" replied Helen

"You are fair yourself."

"Oh no we're not" answered Gladys, "Minna is like a gipsy almost and the
boys are all dark."

"Really?" said Helen "well Gladys what about this wonderful piece of
news?"

"Oh yes" said Gladys, "well when Mother wrote that postscript, I dont
believe she asked the others about it at all, because only the other
evening, I got a letter from Lawrence, (he is my favourite) and it seems
he is quite in favour of me _not_ marrying James."

"How lovely!" exclaimed Helen.

"I'll try and find the letter" said Gladys "it really is awfully nice,
he says he never liked the looks of James and he quite believes my
suspicions are right and he says he'll try and find out who murdered Mr.
Winston if he can, and he strongly advises me to mary Lord Beaufort, (a
friend of ours who has a regard for me). He also says that he will try
and come to see me, Minna is very much of his oppinion too it seems, but
I think that is because _she_ has her eye on James. The twins have not
much to say in the matter except they think I am silly to miss such a
chance, Lionel says so too, but then he is very high and mighty, you
know, so of course he wants me to marry some one rich."

"Well I dont see much good in looking for the letter now you have told
me all the news" said Helen laughingly, as Gladys having turned her
desk up side down, was rampaging about the bookcase.

"I suppose its not much good" repl