ey were undressing, Mrs. Ware talked so happily of Joyce's
return, that Mary's own glow of anticipation came back. She was not
jealous of her sister's good fortune. She had never been that. She was
wholly, generously glad for every good thing that had ever come into
Joyce's life, and she was so thrilled with the thought of her coming
home that she was sure she should lie awake all night thinking about it.
But when she snuggled down under the warm covers, it was Norman's
question which kept her awake. "Where do _you_ expect to come in, Mary?
What are _you_ going to do?"

CHAPTER V

P STANDS FOR PINK

What happened in the Christmas holidays which followed is best told in
the letter which Mary wrote to Phil Tremont on the last day of the old
year.

"DEAR BEST MAN:" it began. "Mamma has asked me
to write to you this time in her place, as she
has succumbed to an attack of 'reunionitis.'
She doesn't call it that, but we know well
enough that it is nothing but the excitement
and unexpectedness of having a whole family
reunion which has frazzled her out so
completely. She wrote you that Joyce was coming
home, but none of us knew that Holland would be
with her. _He_ was the surprise--Cousin Kate's
Christmas gift to the family. His furlough is
not due till next summer, but she said by that
time Joyce would be in Paris, and the chances
are that if we didn't get together now we might
never again be able to; at least for years and
years.

"Cousin Kate is such a solitary soul herself,
no relatives nearer than cousins, that she has
an immense amount of sentiment for family
gatherings, and that is why she gave us such a
happy one. She had to go to Washington to
arrange it. She has a friend at court in the
shape of a senator who was once an intimate
school chum of the President's. (We think he
was one of her many bygone suitors. Isn't that
romantic?) Among them they managed to untie
enough red tape to let Holland out.

"You can imagine our astonishment when he
walked in. We almost swooned with joy, and I
thought for a moment that mamma really was
going to, the surprise was so great. You saw
him just before you went to Mexico, so you know
how big he has gr