Wednesday December 28, 1914. Clear with NE wind - 9° At last! the mail is off. I was cook this morning. I stayed up nearly all night getting up the fresh stuff I could cook and TOT added a big gingerbread to that. My plan was to also fret the departure of the crowd so quickly that they would not have the face to hang around any longer. We even had the 14" Christmas tree and that put a candle on it. I don't suppose my rise was very noticed but at all events they left, and that was the best that could be desired. After and I went out to the Island. On our way the homelabs passed us. Akohahinque got off Stokesbury's just as he came up. She wanted to come out to the Joy Terrace but changed her mind at the last moment. We fed Sains more dog biscuits to the next day. She is looking better already. I thought as I came into the little black hole of a room how wonderful it will seem when the sun shall shining over more on the Cape and light us up. Life with the sun gone forever would not be far from Byron's conception of their terrible calamity. I think we all feel more cheerful tonight now that the letters have really gone. We need not expect any answers in the near future yet we have done our duty in that way.