"And Cecile, too, is very charming, and I know she likes me. Such a coquette! She has her own court among the younger set; and from her very severe treatment of young Gatewood on all occasions I fancy she may be kinder to him one day. "Mrs. Carrick is not here this winter, her new baby keeping her in town; and Acton, of course, is only too happy to remain with her. "As for Gray, he is a nice boy--a little slow, a trifle shy and retiring and over-studious; but his devotion to Shiela makes me love him. And he, too, ventured to ask me whether you were not coming down this winter to hunt along the Everglades with him and Little Tiger. "So, dear, I think perhaps you had better come. It really frightens me to give you this advice. I could not endure it if anything went wrong--if your coming proved premature. "For it is true, Garry, that I love our little Shiela with all my aged, priggish, and prejudiced heart, and I should simply expire if your happiness, which is bound up in her, were threatened by any meddling of mine. "Jim Wayward and I discuss the matter every day; I don't know what he thinks--he's so obstinate some days--and sometimes he is irritable when Gussie Vetchen and Cuyp talk _too_ inanely--bless their hearts! I really don't know what I shall do with James Wayward. What would you suggest?" On the heels of this letter went another. "Garry, dear, read this and then make up your mind whether to come here or not. "This morning I was sitting on the Cardrosses' terrace knitting a red four-in-hand for Mr. Wayward--he is _too_ snuffy in his browns and grays!--and Mrs. Cardross was knitting one for Neville, and Cecile was knitting one for Heaven knows who, and Shiela, swinging her polo-mallet, sat waiting for her pony--the cunning little thing in her boots and breeches!--I mean the girl, not the pony, dear--Oh, my, I'm getting involved and you're hurrying through this scrawl perfectly furious, trying to find out what I'm talking about. "Well, then; I forgot for a moment that Shiela was there within ear-shot; and eyes on my knitting, I began talking about you to Mrs. Cardross; and I had been gossiping away quite innocently for almost a minute when I chanced to look up and notice the peculiar expressions of Mrs. Cardross and Cecile. They weren't looking at me; they were watching Shiela, who had slipped down from the parapet where she had been perched and now stood beside my chair listening. "I hesitated, faltered, but did not make the mistake of stopping or changing the subject, but went on gaily telling about your work on the new Long Island park system. "And as long as I talked she remained motionless beside me. They brought around her pony--a new one--but she did not stir.