The letter was written that very day and was tucked in the box with the Christmas gifts. It ran:
"Dear Cousin Ellen:
"I hope you will have a happy Christmas. I am having a lovely time, and Bubbles is getting along finely. Every one at the hospital likes her and she is just as nice as she was when mamma was at home. I thought you would be glad to know that she is not so much hurt as we were afraid of because you sent her away and you would feel very bad if you thought you had made her get hurt very bad. I send you all a little Christmas gift. I hope you will like what I send. Were you ever impudent when you were a little girl? I am sorry I was.
"Yours
"Eleanor Dallas."
Eleanor submitted the letter to her Aunt Nellie who read it and laughing, said: "You have said just the right thing, Dimple, and if Cousin Ellen can remember as far back as a certain occasion when she was a little girl I think she could answer, 'yes,' to your last question."
"Was she a nice little girl? Did you know her then, Aunt Nellie?"
"Yes, I knew her very well. She was my cousin, you know, but I don't believe your mother and I were as fond of her as you are of Florence. She hasn't changed so very much, I fancy."
"Then she couldn't have been so very nice," Eleanor concluded.
It was the day upon which they expected Rock to return home, and Eleanor was in a high state of excitement. There must be other arrivals to be looked for, too, for Aunt Dora was having the largest guest room made ready and one or two telegrams had arrived. "Are you expecting somebody else?" she ventured to ask.
"Yes," Aunt Dora answered smiling.