away, to be in readiness for the morrow's services.

"If you please, my lady, Captain Kirton has been asking for you once or
twice," said Hedges, entering the dowager's private sitting-room.

"Then Captain Kirton must ask," retorted the dowager, who was sitting
down to her letters, which she had left unopened since their arrival in
the morning, in her anxiety for other interests. "Hedges, I should like
some supper: I had only a scrambling sort of dinner. You can bring it up
here. Something nice; and a bottle of champagne."

Hedges withdrew with the order, and Lady Kirton applied herself to her
letters. The first she opened was from the daughter who had married the
French count. It told a pitiful tale of distress, and humbly craved to be
permitted to come over on a fortnight's visit, she and her two sickly
children, "for a little change."

"I dare say!" emphatically cried the dowager. "What next? No, thank you,
my lady; now that I have at least a firm footing in this house--as that
blessed parson said--I am not going to risk it by filling it with every
bothering child I possess. Bob departs as soon as his leg's well. Why
what's this?"

She had come upon a concluding line as she was returning the letter to
the envelope. "P.S. If I don't hear from you _very_ decisively to the
contrary, I shall come, and trust to your good nature to forgive it. I
want to see Bob."

"Oh, that's it, is it!" said the dowager. "She means to come, whether I
will or no. That girl always had enough impudence for a dozen."

Drawing a sheet of paper out of her desk, she wrote a few rapid lines.

"Dear Jane,

"For _mercy's_ sake keep those _poor_ children and yourself _away_! We
have had an _aweful infectious fever_ rageing in the place, which it
was thought to be _cured_, but it's on the break _out_ again-several
_deaths_, Hartledon and Maude (_married_ of course) have gone out of
its reach and I'm thinking of it if _Bob's_ leg which is _better_
permits. You'd not like I dare say to see the children in a _coffin
apiece_ and yourself in a _third_, as might be the end. _Small-pox_ is
raging at _Garchester_ a neighbouring town, that _will_ be awful if it
gets to _us_ and I _hear_ it's on the _road_ and with kind love
_believe_ me your affectionate_

"MOTHER.

"P.S. I am sorry for _what_ you tell me about _Ugo_ and the _state_
of affairs chey vous. But you know you _would marry_ him so there's
_nobody_ to blame