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January 20th, 1962

Dear Iovanna and Eve:

Although I have sat through long hours of the tea ceremony in Japan this last year, I never did get much of the significance of the whole thing until I read, in your book of tea, the description of the tea room and so much that I knew nothing, nothing about. I think the cup of humanity is a wonderful term for it and it's interesting to know that what began as a medicine grew into a beverage. In any event, this is just an additional little note to say thank you, thank you for our charming Christmas remembrance. 

The great excitement on the home front now is that I expect to see you all the week-end of the 3rd of February. I'm asking something very personal and private, Iovanna. Would you tell me if it would be possible for me to have my friend Margery Smith of San Francisco stay with me at your home for the two nights of Friday and Saturday? On Sunday we have to go back to the hotel. This is the story. 

Margery accompanied me around the world last year, except we parted when I went to join Pat in Israel, and she's one of my oldest and best friends; a woman of considerable means, and, after her husband's death two years ago, took to decorating, a thing which she understands perfectly. She's a Bryn Mawr woman and is doing the wonderful new dormatory for Bryn Mawr, (at least the interiors are going to be wonderful- I don't know about the architecture-) right now. She's been working on it for some months. She also is going to do the duPont room for the Seattle Fair and I have to have a conference with her, since I work for duPont, about the fabrics. I'm bringing suitcases of the newest draperies, and newest upholstery and the very newest in carpets, to show at this little promotion in Phoenix.