I am more sensitive to
impressions than most people."

"One of these letters is from Reckage. It is written on a sheet of your
own note-paper."

She dried her eyes, and looked at him with exultation, astonishment, and
a certain incredulity.

"Then he must have listened to me. He posted it, after all, when he left
the house. He is always impulsive. I remember now--that I saw him give
something to the groom. Do read what he says."

The letter, scrawled hastily on the pale lilac note-paper affected by
Sara and bearing her monogram, ran as follows:--

"MY DEAR OLD FELLOW,--There are still some points of arrangement
very material to consider with regard to this Meeting next week,
and I hope it is not too late to go into them. The thing cannot be
done away. But the circumstances have become, thank God, very
different indeed. Mr. Disraeli has asked me to speak in his stead
at Hanborough--an honour so wholly unexpected and undeserved that I
am forced to see in it an especial mark of encouragement. I must
admit at once that I feel greatly flattered. I am not now to be
taught what opinion I am to entertain of those gentlemen whose
narrow and selfish principles forced me to move against my
inclination, my judgment, and my convictions. I am persuaded that
any additional public action--no matter how indirect on my part--in
the Nomination of Temple would have at this juncture, the worse
effect. It would savour of self-advertisement--an idea which I
abhor. It would seem an _over-doing_, as it were, of my own
importance. You will readily agree, I know, that I ought to keep
perfectly quiet before, and for some time after, my Hanborough
appearance. Not having in any degree changed my view upon this
subject of the Association, I don't feel that my present decision
is inconsistent. I think it will strike everybody as a
sensible--the only sensible--course to follow.

"When can you dine? Or if you won't dine, let me see you when you
can spare half an hour.

"Yours affectionately,"

"BEAUCLERK."

Orange turned to Sara and said, when he had finished reading--

"I am glad he wrote."

"You knew him better than I did. He is still a poor creature, for, what
does it all come to?--a rambling, stupid lie. The letter is sheer
rubbish--a complete misrepresentation of th