Pegler was smiling.  It was not a real smile, but just a general softening of her plain, severe face.

Pegler knew that her lady had been rather “put out” at not having received her usual Christmas letter from Mr. Mark Gifford.  She had spoken of it twice to Pegler, once lightly, on December 27, and then again, in a rather upset way, on the 29th.  After that she had pretended to forget all about it.  But Pegler felt sure Miss Farrow did remember—­often.  And now here was the letter—­a much fatter letter than usual, too.

Pegler, of course, said nothing.  It was not her place to know the hand-writing of any of the gentlemen who wrote to her mistress.

Miss Farrow took the letter, and there came a faint, a very faint, flush over her face.  She said:  “I hope Miss Bubbles has had a good night.  Have you been in to her yet, Pegler?”

“Yes, ma’am.  She looks rather excited-like.  But as you know, ma’am, that’s a good sign with her.”

“Yes, I think it is, Pegler.”

Pegler slipped noiselessly away, and then Blanche opened the envelope containing Mark Gifford’s long-delayed Christmas letter.

    “Home Office, “December 23rd.

    “MY DEAR BLANCHE,

“‘How use doth breed a habit in a man!’ Well anyhow, as you know, it is my custom, which has now attained the dignity of a habit, always to write you a letter for Christmas.  Hitherto I have always known where it would find you, but this year is an exception, for I really have no idea where you are.

“This year is an exception in another respect also.  Hitherto, my dear Blanche, I have, with a tact which I hope you have silently appreciated, always managed to keep out of my Christmas letter any reference to what you know I have never given up hoping for even against hope.  But this time I can’t keep it out because I have had a really good idea.  Even a Civil Servant may have a good idea sometimes, and I assure you that this came to me out of office hours—­as a matter of fact it came to me when I was sitting in that funny little old Westminster churchyard where we once spent what was, to me, the happiest of half-hours.

“I know you have thought me unsympathetic and disapproving about that which holds for you so great a fascination.  Disapproving, yes; I can’t help disapproving of gambling, especially in a woman; but unsympathetic, no—­a thousand times no.  Sympathy is understanding, and, believe me, I do understand, and therefore I propose this plan.

“If you will do me the honour of marrying me, I propose that once or even twice every year you should go off to Monte Carlo, or wherever else you like, and play to your heart’s content.  I promise never to reproach you, above all never to administer those silent reproaches which I think are always the hardest to bear.  Yes, I will always play the game, I pledge myself to that