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Ivy’s good-huet the pain of the embittered universe that subsumes his soul Or do I mean sublimes his soul? Anyhoo, we’ve had to rerasp on more than one occasion Barley water, says Tunny, is the only thing one should take when suffering such ailments of the emotional huht recover one’s spirits out of desperation if all one had to drink was barley water"

"Exactly so!" Ivy nodded over her husband’s evident sagacity on the application of revolting beverages to despondent poets She motioned her friend into her front parlor, a diance of iced Nesselrode pudding

Lady Maccon deposited her parasol into the sback chair, careful not to upset any of the decorative objects strewn about Her visiting dress was of flowing blue paisley with a stiffened quilted skirt Designed to accoirth, it wasroom--than the current trends dictated

She sat heavily in the chair, sighing at the relief of getting the weight off her poor feet, which seeinal proportions "Ivy, ht prevail upon you for a very great favor"

"Oh, Alexia, of course You have only to ask and I shall do whatever"

Lady Maccon hesitated, wondering exactly how much to reveal Ivy was a dear little soul, but was she reliable? She decided to buck up and take the plunge "Ivy, have you ever wondered if there htly unusual about me?"

"Well, Alexia my dear, I never liked to say, but I have alondered about your hat preferences They have struckblue ostrich feather of her not-at-all-plain hat wafted back and forth behind her "No, not that, Ifor it"

Mrs Tunstell gasped in enchanted shock at Lady Maccon’s lo language "Alexia, you have been fraternizing olves overmuch! Military men can be terribly bad for one’s verbal concatenation"

Alexia took a deep breath and then blurted out, "I’m preternatural"

Ivy’s dark eyes widened "Oh, no! Is it catching?"

Alexia blinked at her

Ivy donned a sympathetic expression "Is it a terribly painful condition?"

Lady Maccon continued to blink

Ivy put a hand to her throat "Is it the baby? Will you both be well? Should I send for barley water?"

Alexia finally found her voice "No, preternatural You ht know the term, as in soulless? Or curse-breaker I have no soul None at all As a matter of fact, I can cancel it out in supernatural creatures given half a chance"

Ivy relaxed "Oh, that Yes, I knew I shouldn’t let it concern you, my dear I doubt anybody minds"

"Yes, but????Wait, you knew?"

Ivy tut-tutted and shook dark ringlets at her friend in es"

"But you neverto me on the subject" Alexia was not often flummoxed She found it an usual sensation and wondered if this hat Ivy felt like ive her soree of confidence in her next move Despite all her frivolities, Ivy could clearly keep a secret and, it turned out, was iven her credit for

"Now, Alexia, I thought you were e up an uncomfortable personal disability I have s of others than that!"

"Ah, oh, well Of course you do Regardless, as a preternatural, I a to enlist your aid It has to do with my husband’s work" Alexia didn’t want to tell Ivy absolutely everything, but she didn’t want to fib outright either

"For BUR? Espionage! Oh, really? How terribly glaht

"To which end I was hoping to, well, induct you into a kind of secret society"

Ivy looked as though she had not heard anything so thrilling in all her life "Me?" she squeaked "Really? How marvelous What’s it called, this secret society?"

Alexia hesitated and then, recalling a phrase her husband had once offered up in the heat of annoyance, suggested tentatively, "The Parasol Protectorate?"

"Oooh, what a perfectly splendid name So full of ornamentation!" Ivy practically bounced up and down on the lavender settee in her excitee, or an ritual or other?" Ivy had an expectant look on her face that suggested she would be very disappointed if this were not the case

"Well, yes, of course" Lady Maccon floundered, trying to co appropriate to the occasion She couldn’t oith an extreht bodice of the style favored by actresses

After a ht, Alexia stood laboriously and waddled over to the umbrella stand to retrieve her parasol This she opened and placed point doard in the center of the rooe to take upIvy to stand, Alexia handed her the handle and said, "Spin the parasol three times and repeat after me: I shield in the name of fashion I accessorize for one and all Pursuit of truth is reat parasol"

Ivy did as she was told, face serious and concentrated "I shield in the name of fashion I accessorize for one and all Pursuit of truth is reat parasol"

"Now pick the parasol up and raise it, open, to the ceiling Yes, just like that"

"Is that all? Shouldn’t the vow be sealed in blood or so like?"

"Oh, do you think?"

Ivy nodded enthusiastically

Alexia shrugged "If you insist" She took back her parasol, snapped it closed, and twisted the handle Tickedly sharp spikes projected out of the tip, one of silver, the other of wood

Ivy inhaled in appreciation

Lady Maccon flipped the parasol about Then she took off one of her gloves After a moment’s hesitation, Ivy did the same Alexia nicked the pad of her thuave a little squeak of alarether

"May the blood of the soulless keep your own soul safe," intoned Alexia, feeling appallinglyIvy would love this better than anything

Ivy did "Oh, Alexia, this is so very stirring! It should be part of a play"