I20 The Real Charlotte. 



CHAPTER XVII. 



" Tally Ho Lodge. 

 "My Dearest Fanny, 



'^ Although I'm nearly dead after the bazaar I must write 

 you a Une or two to tell you what it was like. It was scrum- 

 shous. I wore my white dress with the embroidery the first 

 day and the pink dress that you and I bought together the 

 second day and everybody liked me best in the white one. 

 It was fearful hot and it was great luck it was at the flower 

 stall Mrs. Gascogne asked me to sell. Kathleen Baker and 

 the Beatties had the refreshments and if you saw the colour 

 of their faces with the heat at tea-time I declare you'd have 

 to laugh. The Dysarts brought in a lovely lot of flowers 

 and Mr. Dysart was very nice helping me to tie them up. 

 You needn't get on with any of your nonsense about him, 

 he'd never think of flirting with me or anyone though he's 

 fearfully polite and you'd be in fits if you saw the way Miss 

 Hopedrummond the girl I told you about was running after 

 him and anyone could see he'd sooner talk to his sister or 

 his mother and I don't wonder for their both very nice 

 which is more than she is. Roddy Lambert was there of 

 course and poor Mrs. L. in a puce dress and everybody 

 from the whole country round. Mr. Hawkins was grand 

 fun. Nothing would do him but to come behind the 

 counter with me and Mrs. Gascogne and go on with the 

 greatest nonsense selling buttonholes to the old ladies and 

 making them buy a lot of old rotten jeranium cuttings that 

 was all Charlotte would give to the stall. The second day 

 it was only just the townspeople that were there and I 

 couldn't be bothered selling to them all day and Httle thanks 

 you get from them. The half of them came thinking they'd 

 get every thing for nothing because it was the last day and 

 you'd hear them fighting Mrs. Gascogne as if she was a 

 shopwoman. I sat up in the gallery with Hawkins most of 

 the evening and he brought up tea there and strawberries 

 and Charlotte was shouting and roaring round the place 

 looking for me and nobody knew where we were. 'Twas 

 lovely — " 



At this point Miss Fitzpatrick became absorbed in medita- 



