Do excuse my troubling you, but could you give me a little information? Someone has asked me about Madame Frabelle. I know that she is a friend of yours, and is staying with you, and I said so; also I have a sort of idea that she was, in some way, connected with you by marriage or relationship, but of that I was not quite sure. I fancy that it is due to you that I have the pleasure of knowing her, anyhow. 'Could you tell me who she was before she married? What her husband was, and anything else about her? That she is most charming and a very clever woman I know, of course, already. To say she is a friend of yours is enough to say that, but the rest I forget. 'Hoping you will forgive my troubling you, and that you are all very well, I remain, yours most sincerely. 'KATHLEEN CONROY 'P.S.--I began to take some lessons in nursing when I came across a most charming and delightful girl, called Dulcie Clay. Do you happen to know her at all? Her father married again and she was not happy at home, and, having no money, she went in for nursing, seriously (not as I did), but I'm afraid she is not strong enough for the profession. Remember me to Madame Frabelle.' Edith passed the letter to Bruce. 'Isn't this too delightful?' she said; 'and exactly like her? She sends Madame Frabelle to me with a letter of introduction, and then asks me who she is!' 'Well,' said Bruce, who saw nothing of the absurdity of the situation, 'Lady Conroy is a most charming person. It looks almost as if she wanted to decline responsibility. I wouldn't annoy her for the world. You must give her all the information she wants, of course.' 'But all I know I only know from her.' 'Exactly. Well, tell her what she told you. Madame Frabelle told us candidly she made her acquaintance at the hotel! But it's absurd to tell Lady Conroy that back! We can't!' Edith found the original letter of introduction, after some searching, and wrote to Lady Conroy to say that she understood Madame Frabelle, who was no connection of hers, was a clever, interesting woman, who wished to study English life in her native land. She was '_of good family; she had been a Miss Eglantine Pollard, and was the widow of a well-to-do French wine merchant_.' (This was word for word what Lady Conroy had told her.) She went on to say that she '_believed Madame Frabelle had several friends and connections in London_.' 'The Mitchells, for instance,' suggested Bruce. 'Yes, that's a good idea. "_She knows the Mitchells very well_,"' Edith went on writing. '"_I think you know them also; they are very great friends of ours. Mr Mitchell is in the Foreign Office_."' 'And the Conistons?' suggested Bruce.