Aunt Lavvy had hardly changed in looks during the past nine years. Her skin was still the colour and texture of apple-blossom; her snowy hair as beautifully arranged; her dainty uncrumpled appearance made it seem impossible that she had been travelling all night. When she smiled at Christine across the luncheon-table, the young girl felt a sudden lump in her throat; felt that she wanted to be good; and also that she was going to pour out everything--yes, about Doug and everything, to this adorable little old lady, the instant they were alone. And when she smiled at Doug, he wanted to protect her from some danger; and also to tell her what a rotter he’d been. He saw that she had taken quite a special fancy to him; and he rejoiced that Teddy should have invited her to Grey Stone. And when she smiled at Ursula, Ursula knew she had to get away before night. “Will the other two think me a bore, Ursula dear, if I unload a little family gossip? To begin with, William really has been taken into the business, starting--well, from as near the bottom as the proprietor’s son can ever genuinely start. Your father is delighted with him. He’s a sound little fellow, our William. I think he’ll be Lord Mayor one day, don’t you, Ursula? And the harder he works, the stouter he seems to grow. Your father says sometimes that it’s queer to have only his youngest son to succeed him in the firm; but Bunny.... Ah, Bunny! I comfort myself by thinking that he’s the rolling stone who will gather the most moss in the end, even if it’s moss of the kind invisible to ordinary people. He was in New Zealand when we last heard. And Hal preferred ’Varsity and law. And now that his first love, Maisie, is engaged to somebody else--didn’t you hear about it, Ursula? I expect poor old Hal feels a little too sore about it to write. But he’s not quite so stricken as he thinks he is. He’s handsomer than ever, too, and doing wonderfully well; I must say we were all surprised that Maisie preferred her father’s young locum. However--one person is mightily relieved that his dream has been puffed away, and that’s Nina. It means so much to her, keeping home for Hal. Have you got any idolized big brothers, Christine? No? Then you wouldn’t quite understand how Nina feels about Hal. Lottie is still a little kind trotting thing, contented to be useful at home. But Nina, never. And Ursula, of course, was the family beauty and bound to be captured early.” Aunt Lavvy directed a saucy dimple at Doug, who replied boyishly: “Oh, if it were just a question of looks, Aunt Lavvy, what about you?” “_What_ about me?” she flirted with him. “I love powdered hair!” was his quickly gallant response. “You--sailor!” laughed Aunt Lavvy, fatally. Doug was a sailor for the rest of that meal.