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126

In the afternoon all the ladies of Yenching were "at home" to all Peking. They devided into three groups and recieved at three homes. Dorothy was, as she said, "sweet as pie for four hours and a total wreck" and she needed to come home and blow off to me. It does seem a foolish thing this saying little nothings, which is all such an occasion allows, to dozens of folks for four hours. But the next day I cheered her by telling her that Miss Crane, one of the secretaries in the registrars office told me, "Mr. March, your wife is the most beautiful girl in Peking. I could look at her all day and I certainly did enjoy watching and listening to her at tea yesterday."

November 14.
This Saturday, after my two classes, was a day of reall play. Dorothy and I spent the entire afternoon pretending to buy Christmas presents but in truth poking into dozens of delightful shops and bazaars, hiking far north and ordering me a fur hat. We did buy some little things, and we had such a near, happy time. There is no nearness like that of two folks that love each other and are together in great crowds of folks they do not know. We could have purred with gladness. In the evening we sent off Christmas presents to homefolks and loved the excitement of doing it.

November 15.
I spent all the morning at work on my art lecture on Sung painting, and Dorothy and Peter went off on some mysterious errand which they kept secret and which smelt to me like Christmas. 

Louise came over and went with us to the Lung Fu Ssu Bazaar in the afternoon and I got my fur hat, a veritable Daniel Boone of a hat with gold brown fox fur flaps. I am well pleased with it.

Carey and Louise had tea with us and then picnic supper of tomato soup, rarebit and potato chips, olives and fruit salad.

November 16.
Alnah James, the elder Mr. Fu, Dorothy, Peter and I went out to the famous street of th Literary Men and spent the whole afternoon there. Alnah wanted rubbings and some repro ductions; I wanted Fu's help in buying about a hundred and fifty dollars worth of valuable reproductions of famous