She opened Ethel Hardinge's letter.
"My dear Lily,
"Delighted to hear such excellent news of you, the girls all enjoyed your letter. We have a great piece of news to tell you. Dorothy is engaged to be married. 'One wedding makes another' they always say. He is very nice, indeed, and we are delighted. It has all happened very quickly, and it's quite private, so please tell no one, except, of course, Nicholas.
"He is a Captain Durand, a soldier, and we greatly fear that it means many years of foreign service, but they are really in love, and I think I can talk Cousin Charlie into letting them be married before the regiment sails for India next year.
"D. will write you all details, of course. You never saw anyone so radiant as she is—but I expect you know all about it!! I know you'll be delighted at her happiness.
"Your house looks lovely. D. and I have been round there several times, and hustled the workmen, and everything ought to be quite finished in another ten days. We go home to-morrow, after a very busy time, as you can imagine, with all this excitement. Everybody wearing yellow nowadays, it seems to me, and everything very frilly. Pink and blue seem to be quite out of fashion, such a pity, as D. always looks bilious in yellow or cream-colour. But, of course, you'll tell us all about clothes and colours when you get back from Paris. I hope the new frocks are a great success. Did the black hat travel all right?
"Best love, dear Lily. It's such a real delight to think of your happiness.
"Yours affec'ly and in haste,
"E. H."
Lily searched hastily amongst the remaining envelopes for Dorothy's letter. It was a very long one scrawled in Dorothy's untidy handwriting at various intervals of time.