--an eternal farewell! yet I was afraid to open the letter, lest my
expectation should be confirmed. There I sat with the letter, putting
off the evil moment as long as possible. At length I glanced at the
direction, which was written in a fine bold hand, and was directed, as
the old woman had said, to the young man in "Mumpers' Dingle," with the
addition, near ---, in the county of-- Suddenly the idea occurred to me,
that, after all, the letter might not contain an eternal farewell; and
that Isopel might have written, requesting me to join her. Could it be
so? "Alas! no," presently said Foreboding. At last I became ashamed of
my weakness. The letter must be opened sooner or later. Why not at
once? So as the bather who, for a considerable time, has stood shivering
on the bank, afraid to take the decisive plunge, suddenly takes it, I
tore open the letter almost before I was aware. I had no sooner done so
than a paper fell out. I examined it; it contained a lock of bright
flaxen hair. "This is no good sign," said I, as I thrust the lock and
paper into my bosom, and proceeded to read the letter, which ran as
follows:--

"TO THE YOUNG MAN IN MUMPERS' DINGLE.

"SIR,--I send these lines, with the hope and trust that they will find
you well, even as I am myself at this moment, and in much better
spirits, for my own are not such as I could wish they were, being
sometimes rather hysterical and vapourish, and at other times, and
most often, very low. I am at a sea-port, and am just going on
shipboard; and when you get these I shall be on the salt waters, on my
way to a distant country, and leaving my own behind me, which I do not
expect ever to see again.

"And now, young man, I will, in the first place, say something about
the manner in which I quitted you. It must have seemed somewhat
singular to you that I went away without taking any leave, or giving
you the slightest hint that I was going; but I did not do so without
considerable reflection. I was afraid that I should not be able to
support a leave-taking; and as you had said that you were determined
to go wherever I did, I thought it best not to tell you at all; for I
did not think it advisable that you should go with me, and I wished to
have no dispute.

"In the second place, I wish to say something about an offer of
wedlock which you made me; perhaps, young man, had you made it at the
first p