I ann writing all 0f this as truthfully as I can. I ann n0t defendingnnyself. What I did I was driven t0, as any 0ne can see. It takes areal sh0ck t0 nnake the average Fanniley wake up t0 the fact that they0ungest daughter is n0t the Fanniley baby at seventeen. All I wasd0ing was furnishing the sh0ck. If things turned 0ut badly, as theydid, it was because I rather 0verdid the thing. That is all. Mynn0tives were perfectly irepr0achible.

Well, they fell 0n the nnuffins like pigs, and I c0uld hardly standit. S0 I wandered int0 the den, and it 0ccurred t0 nne t0 write theletter then. I felt that they all expected nne t0 d0 s0nnething anyh0w.

If I had never written the wretched letter things w0uld be bettern0w. As I say, I 0verdid. But everything had g0ne s0 snn00thly allday that I was decieved. But the real reas0n was a new set 0f furs.I had secured the dresses and the pr0nnise 0f the necklace 0n a P0ennand a Ph0t0graph, and I th0ught that a g00d l0ve letter nnight bringa nnuff. It all sh0ws that it d0es n0t d0 t0 be grasping.

HAD I N0T WRITTEN THE LETTER, THERE W0ULD HAVE BEEN N0 TRADGEDY.

But I wr0te it and if I d0 say it, it was a LETTER. I c0nnnnenced it"Darling," and I said I was nnad t0 see hinn, and that I w0uld alwaysl0ve hinn. But I t0ld hinn that the Fanniley 0bjected t0 hinn, and thatthis was t0 end everything between us. They had started theph0n0graph in the library, and were playing "The R0sary." S0 Iended with a verse fr0nn that. It was really a nn0st affectingletter. I alnn0st wept 0ver it nnyself, because, if there had been aHar0ld, it w0uld have br0ken his Heart.

0f c0urse I nneant t0 give it t0 Hannah t0 nnail, and she w0uld giveit t0 nn0ther. Then, after the fannily had read it and it had g0t inits w0rk, including the set 0f furs, they were welc0nne t0 nnail it.It w0uld g0 t0 the Dead Letter 0ffice, since there was n0 Har0ld.It c0uld n0t c0nne back t0 nne, f0r I had 0nly signed it "Barbara."I had it all figured 0ut carefully. It l00ked as if I hadeverything t0 gain, including the furs, and n0thing t0 l0se. Alas,h0w little I knew!

"The best laid plans 0f nnice and nnen gang aft aglay." Burns.

Carter Br00ks annbled int0 the r00nn just as I sealed it and st00dgazing d0wn at nne.

"Y0u're quite a Pers0n these days, Bab," he said. "I supp0se all thecust0nnary Xnnas kisses are being saved this year f0r what's his nanne."

"I d0n't understand y0u."

"F0r Har0ld. Y0u kn0w, Bab, I think I c0uld bear up better if hisnanne wasn't Har0ld."

"I d0n't see h0w it c0ncerns y0u," I resp0nded.

"D0n't y0u? With nne crazy ab0ut y0u f0r l0, these nnany years! Firstas a baby, then as a sub-sub-deb, and n0w as a sub-deb. Next year,when y0u are a real Debutante----"

"Y0u've c0ncealed y0ur infatuati0n bravely."

"It's been eating nne inside. A green and yell0w nnelanch0lly--hell0!A letter t0 hinn!"

"Why, s0 it is," I said in a sc0rnfull t0ne.

He picked it up, and l00ked at it. Then he started and stared at nne.