me profit: and her expectation proved correct
after her own demise, for her husband putting it up at the auction; our
relative on the mother's side, Dr. Glossop, interested in the documents
and particulars of the story as he was, had it knocked down to him, in
contest with an agent of a London gentleman, going as high as two pounds
ten shillings, for the sum of two pounds and fifteen shillings. Count
the amount that makes for each word of a letter a marvel of brevity,
considering the purport! But Dr. Glossop was right in saying he had it
cheap. The value of that letter may now be multiplied by ten: nor for
that sum would he part with it.

Thus it ran, I need not refer to it in Bundle No. 3:

'MY LORD: I drive to your church-door on the fourteenth of the month
at ten A.M., to keep my appointment with Miss C. J. Kirby, if I do
not blunder the initials.
'Your lordship's obedient servant,
'FLEETWOOD.'

That letter will ever be a treasured family possession with us.

That letter was dated from Lord Fleetwood's Kentish mansion, Esslemont,
the tenth of the month. He must have quitted London for Esslemont,
for change of scene, for air, the moment after the news of Henrietta's
marriage. Carinthia Jane received the summons without transmission
of the letter from her uncle on the morning of the twelfth. It was a
peremptory summons.

Unfortunately, Admiral Fakenham, a real knight and chevalier of those
past times, would not let her mount the downs to have her farewell view
of the big ships unaccompanied by him; and partly and largely in pure
chivalry, no doubt; but her young idea of England's grandeur, as
shown in her great vessels of war, thrilled him, too, and restored his
youthful enthusiasm for his noble profession or made it effervesce.
However it was, he rode beside her and rejoiced to hear the young girl's
talk of her father as a captain of one of England's thunderers, and of
the cruelty of that Admiralty to him: at which Admiral Baldwin laughed,
but had not the heart to disagree with her, for he could belabour the
Admiralty in season, cause or no cause. Altogether he much enjoyed the
ride, notwithstanding intimations of the approach of 'his visitor,' as
he called his attacks of gout.

Riding home, however, the couple passed through a heavy rainfall, and
the next day, when he was to drive with the bride to Lekkatts, gout, the
fiercest he had ever known, chained him fas