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158

Wednesday, June 6, 1928

who picked the pale pink rose-bud for me and the full-blown red-rose for mother.  The evening and dancing with some of the natives.

July 16
Mother has really gotten an inferiority complex.  I seem have done most of the meeting.  I don't know what to do about it — whether it is right to give up going with the people I met or not — or whether I should meet them or not.  It is really difficult — [[strikethrough]] but [[/strikethrough]]

This morning (the 17th) I went swimming with Reade, 
[[Left margin]] July 17 who is a fascinating and awfully nice person.  We swam, smoked, and talked about Rupert Brooke and writing.



161

July 17,  Thursday — July 23, Wednesday
[[strikethrough]] Saturday, June 9, 1928 [[/strikethrough]]

At 6 o'clock the company arrived;  Pat, with rouged cheeks;  Nell in a spick and span tennis-dress;  Petey, in a two-piece suit;  and Reade, with long sleeves.  Bicardi cock-tails at the hotel, and then Reed and I walked to Sue's.  The house is up on a sort of cliff, and to reach it one must walk up hundreds and hundreds of steps.  The house itself was fairly large and very simple, posessing very little furniture or ornamentation of any sort.  From the porch was an enchanting view of the bay, half-hidden by the greens of the trees, almost silhouettes in the dusk.  On the porch were Sue, quite ugly, and as strange as usual, and her mother, George.  George was a dynamic person, who had smoldering black eyes, [[strikethrough]] and [[/strikethrough]] sparse grey-and-iron-black hair drawn tightly back, and clear-cut features.  Her whole person showed strength and unfathomableness.  One of her sons died in the war, and the other in Algiers from wounds in the war.  Since then she and Sue have wandered to all the out-of-the-way-places in the world - staying in one place until they have enough money to get to the next - looking for escape - but from what?  Living with them is a singularly attractive Egyptian, Dian, whose bronze skin, black hair and eyes, white teeth, poise, and charm make him fascinating.  The story goes that he helped nurse the son in Algiers, that his family was once "something", that he has lived in England, that now he has no job.... but his intimacy and familiarity with George and Sue is strange, and peculiarly incongruous. Perry was there, and he is a marvelous person,