int shook her head and began to eat.

"That's right, old 'ooman," said her grandson, patting her shoulder;
"heap up the coals, mayhap it'll revive the memory."

But Mrs Flint's memory was not so easily revived. She became more
abstracted than usual in her efforts to recover it. Supper passed and
was cleared away. The old woman was placed in her easy chair in front
of the fire with the cat--her chief evening amusement--on her knee; the
letter-carrier went out for his evening walk; Dollops proceeded
miscellaneously to clean up and smash the crockery, and May sat down to
indite an epistle to the inmates of Rocky Cottage.

Suddenly Mrs Flint uttered an exclamation.

"May!" she cried, and hit the cat an involuntary slap on the face which
sent it with a caterwaul of indignant surprise from her knee, "it wasn't
a message, it was a letter!"

Having thus unburdened her mind the old woman relapsed into the previous
century, from which she could not be recalled. May, therefore, made a
diligent search for the letter, and found it at last under a cracked
teapot on the mantelpiece, where Mrs Flint had told Miss Lillycrop to
place it for safety.

It was short but satisfactory, and ran thus:--

"DEAREST MAY,--I've been to see my friend `in power,' and he says it's
`all right,' that you've only to get your brother over as soon as
possible, and he'll see to getting him a situation. The enclosed paper
is for his and your guidance. Excuse haste.--Your affectionate coz,
SARAH LILLYCROP."

It need hardly be said that May Maylands finished her letter with
increased satisfaction, and posted it that night.

Next morning she wrote out a telegram as follows:--"Let Phil come here
_at once_. The application has been successful. Never mind clothes.
Everything arranged. Best love to all."

The last clause was added in order to get the full value for her money.
She naturally underscored the words "at once," forgetting for the moment
that, in telegraphy, a word underlined counts as two words. She was
therefore compelled to forego the emphasis.

This message she did not transmit through her own professional
instrument, but gave it in at the nearest district office. It was at
once shot bodily, with a bundle of other telegrams, through a pneumatic
tube, and thus reached St. Martin's-le-Grand in one minute thirty-five
seconds, or about twenty minutes before herself. Chancing to be the
uppermost message, it was flashed off without d