The Delicate Flower

Never wanting to be an imposition, Lady Prisspott, with only the slightest clatter of nervously held china, gently placed her teacup and saucer on the sideboard and slumped as gracefully, quickly and quietly as possible to the floor and to unconsciousness. The others never would have noticed if not for the sudden and impatient "Oh, for the love of Pete!" that leapt unbidden through Ivy's lips.

Sue and Mark instantly moved to assist Ivy as she attempted to pull Hydrangea up and onto the divan, while Dr. von Scott moved to check her pulse and temperature.

'What on Earth happened?' and a variety of similar, overlapping inquiries accompanied the flutter of concerned friends who clustered about Hydrangea, fanning and offering water.

"Oh, honestly, I have no idea." Ivy insisted, rolling her eyes "I just gave my sister a summary of the conversations we were having here that she'd missed while visiting the, [ahem], water closet."

"Well, how could that have caused Lady Prisspott to faint?" Mark asked, "I was only talking with Dr. von Scott about the various injuries I've sustained while hiding letterboxes. Invariably I'll step in a patch of poison-something-or-other or skin a knee or twist a joint--nothing very graphic or serious--I just can't seem to return unscathed from hiding a box. That's not cause for alarm, is it?"

"Only a little disturbing, but not enough to cause this." agreed Sue, "Lori, what were we talking about?"

"Ah..." Lori paused, trying to remember "Oh! Um, Tupperware! And boxing with children."

"Yes, that's right." said Sue, tapping her chin "Letterboxing with children used to make our containers a bit larger than usual to accomodate their artwork."

"And the problem with larger ones" added Lori "is that they tend not to hold their seal as well. Brian, what were you doing?"

"Nothing, really." Brian said, pausing from pouring a scotch and looking to Ivy for agreement, "I was showing Ivy how I filed my letterboxing photos."

"It's true," Ivy yawned. "He's very particular about how each photo is rated, 'These are marked H and go in the Hiking album, those are C and go in the Carving album'--all immensely fascinating." Ivy yawned again and took the glass of scotch from Brian.

"Hmph." grunted Brian. "We were on the Exchange album when Lady Prisspott returned and whispered with her sister. Next thing you know she's on the floor."

"What did she say?" Asked Sue.

Rolling her eyes and sighing heavily, Ivy looked at the ceiling, "She asked me what she missed and I told her--

The ladies were talking about their large wet boxes,
Brian was sharing his X-rated photos,
and Mark told the Doctor it hurt when he P's."

Pausing to down her scotch, Ivy concluded "And then she fainted."