and interesting (Miss Naylor says it is not right to say ‘quite’ beautiful, but I do not know what other word could mean ‘quite’ except the word ‘quite,’ because it is not exceedingly and not extremely).  And O Chris! there was one picture painted by him; it was about a ship without masts—­Miss Naylor says it is a barge, but I do not know what a barge is—­on fire, and, floating down a river in a fog.  I think it is extremely beautiful.  Miss Naylor says it is very impressionistick—­what is that? and Papa said ‘Puh!’ but he did not know it was painted by Herr Harz, so I did not tell him.

“There has also been staying at our hotel that Count Sarelli who came one evening to dinner at our house, but he is gone away now.  He sat all day in the winter garden reading, and at night he went out with Papa.  Miss Naylor says he is unhappy, but I think he does not take enough exercise; and O Chris! one day he said to me, ’That is your sister, Mademoiselle, that young lady in the white dress?  Does she always wear white dresses?’ and I said to him:  ’It is not always a white dress; in the picture, it is green, because the picture is called “Spring.’  But I did not tell him the colours of all your dresses because he looked so tired.  Then he said to me:  ‘She is very charming.’  So I tell you this, Chris, because I think you shall like to know.  Scruff’ has a sore toe; it is because he has eaten too much meat.

“It is not nice without you, Chris, and Miss Naylor says I am improving my mind here, but I do not think it shall improve very much, because at night I like it always best, when the shops are lighted and the carriages are driving past; then I am wanting to dance.  The first night Papa said he would take me to the theatre, but yesterday he said it was not good for me; perhaps to-morrow he shall think it good for me again.

“Yesterday we have been in the Prater, and saw many people, and some that Papa knew; and then came the most interesting part of all, sitting under the trees in the rain for two hours because we could not get a carriage (very exciting).

“There is one young lady here, only she is not any longer very young, who knew Papa when he was a boy.  I like her very much; she shall soon know me quite to the bottom and is very kind.

“The ill husband of Cousin Teresa who went with us to Meran and lost her umbrella and Dr. Edmund was so sorry about it, has been very much worse, so she is not here but in Baden.  I wrote to her but have no news, so I do not know whether he is still living or not, at any rate he can’t get well again so soon (and I don’t think he ever shall).  I think as the weather is very warm you and Uncle Nic are sitting much out of doors.  I am sending presents to you all in a wooden box and screwed very firm, so you shall have to use again the big screw-driver of Fritz.  For Aunt Constance, photographs; for Uncle Nic, a green bird on a stand with a hole in the back of the bird to put his ashes in; it is a good