208 A COLLECTING TRIP 
erepe dress, solid!y embroidered with flowers, for Mrs. 
Barbour. She told me before we left that she wanted 
a white silk dress ail over embroidered, but that is an — 
impossibility to get. I have tried in India, China, 
Java and here, and the crepe was so much prettier 
that I ordered that and hope she will hke it. The 
stores here are simply dreams. I never imagined 
things so ravishingly beautiful as they are here and 
when you buy anything it is done up in such a 
pretty way and put in a box all hand-painted, a work 
of art in itself. The parasols with roses and iris are 
very attractive, done in all colors; and the crepes, 
well, they are simply superb, covered as they are with 
embroidery; the trouble is that you have to draw a 
line somewhere. I saw some embroidered pictures, a 
gray silk with waves dashing against a rock, done in 
white. It sounds impossible, but it was beautiful. 
Then they had two peacocks, life size; they looked as 
if at any moment they might walk right out of the 
frame. There is no denying it, these people are most 
artistic, but I do not like them — too sweet to be 
wholesome. 
Think of Bub’s speech being the best — and Jim- 
my too, fourth in his class at the Medical school out of 
all those that entered; we are fairly bursting with 
pride. 
I want this to go by the Empress, so I shall stop 
— with much love from us both. 
Ros. 
