On the morning of Bridgie's departure two letters arrived by the first post, and were read in silence by their respective owners. Bridgie's was in a man's handwriting, and the perusal of its lines brought a flush to her cheeks and the glimmer of tears to her eyes. She put it in her pocket when she had finished reading, and remained densely oblivious of her sister's hints. "What does he say?" "Who?" "Mr Glynn, of course. Don't pretend! I know his writing." "He's very ... very--I don't know exactly _what_ he is, Pixie. He is as we all were at first--upset!" "What does he say?" "Oh, er--er--the usual things. Sorry. Ashamed. It's so difficult for him, because, of course, in a certain sense it _is_ his doing. ... Naturally, he feels--" "What does he say?" "Pixie, _don't_ go on repeating that! It's stupid. I've _told_ you! And there's a message for you. He thanks you for _your_ message, (I didn't know you had sent one!) and says it was `like you.' What did you say?" But Pixie did not enlighten her. "I think he ought to have written to me!" she said decisively. "After all, Bridgie, it is my business, not yours. I thought he _would_ write." Bridgie had the grace to blush. "But just at first, dear, it is difficult.--He feels it so much. It's easier to a third person. Later on, in a few months' time, when things have settled down, he wants to come north to see us. It will be easier then..." "Oh!" Pixie seemed of a sudden as eager to avoid the subject as she had been to continue it. She handed her own letter across the table with a short "From Honor! You may read it," and thereby protected herself against the scrutiny of Bridgie's eyes. The sheet was covered with a large, straggling handwriting, and Pixie, reading it, had seemed to hear Honor's very voice speaking to her. "My dear Patricia,--I guess you may not want to hear from me, but I'm bound to write, and maybe I can say a few things that will help us both. You're feeling pretty badly at the moment. But I want you just to realise that I've been feeling that way for a good year back, and to try to see both sides.