Owen Oliver

“ Villiers. “Here's Phil! Dear old Phil!”
“Phil!” half of them cried, and rushed at a tall, handsome lady in beautiful evening dress, and held on to her. Omi and I gasped and held on to each other; for “Phil Carlyon'” was—Aunt Philippa!
They shook hands for a long time. Then they led her to a big chair in the middle of the circle; and she smiled all round, and looked something like Omi does when she sees the Wonder.
“You dear old friends!” she said. “How good it is to see you again. It always is; but this time it's nicer than ever, because I've come from Iceland!” ”

“ So it wasn't such a bad evening
“Do know, Omi girl,” I remarked, when Aunt Philippa had gone to bed, “she means well; and I like her.” And then I told her what she had said about the way to bring up the Wonder.
“I like her, too,” Omi said. “Do you know, Jimmy, she fairly hugged the Wonder when she thought we weren't looking. Poor old auntie! To think of all the things she misses by being so good! I'm sure she would like to be jolly, if she didn't think it was wrong. Oh, Jimmy! It's the Villiers' evening to-morrow; and we can't go. And it's an amusement evening!” ”

“ We can enjoy a joke against ourselves; and we knew very well that they liked us all the Better because the Wonder was so wonderful to us.
“He really is a Wonder,” Aunt Philippa concluded; “and they are very nice, too, in their dreadful way. I can't help being fond of them. It makes me quite sad when I think how they miss all the brightness of life ”