ke the seal
and set himself patiently to decipher it. Immediately his countenance
became ghastly pale, then it flushed up and became pale again, while he
coughed and gasped once or twice, and started up and sat down abruptly.
In fact Mr Webster exhibited all the signs of having received a severe
shock, and an eye-witness might have safely concluded that he had just
read the news of some great mercantile loss. So it was in one sense--
but that was not the ordinary sense.

The letter in question was in the handwriting of a fussy officious
"bumble" friend of the wealthy man, who dwelt in the town of Covelly.
It ran as follows:

"My dear Sir,--I write in great haste, and in much perturbation,
having just heard from my servant of the wreck of your ship, the
_Water Lily_, in Covelly Bay. She does not seem to be quite sure,
however, of the name, and says that the only man who has been rescued
is scarcely able to speak, so that I do sincerely hope my domestic,
who is a stupid old woman, may turn out to be mistaken. I am on the
point of hasting down to the shore to ascertain the truth for myself,
but am obliged to write to you this brief and unsatisfactory account
of what I have heard, in order to save the post, which is just being
closed. You shall hear from me again, of course, by the next mail.--I
remain, my dear sir, in much anxiety, your most obedient humble
servant,

"JOSEPH DOWLER."

It chanced that at the moment the above letter was handed to the
postmaster, and while the wax was being melted before the final sealing
of the post-bag, a sailor lad, drenched to the skin and panting
vehemently, dashed into the office.

"Stop! stop!" he cried, "a letter--about the wreck--the _Water Lily_--to
the owners--not too late, I hope?"

"No, no, just in time. Here, in with it. There, all right. Now, Jim,
off with 'ee."

The postman jumped on his vehicle, the whip cracked, and in another
minute the Royal Mail was gone. Thus it came to pass that two epistles
reached Mr Webster that morning from Covelly. But in the extreme
agitation of his spirit, he did not observe the other letter which lay
among the usual morning mass that still awaited examination. After
reading the letter twice, and turning it over with trembling hands, as
if he wished there were more in it, he pronounced a deep malediction on
his "humble" friend, and rang the bell for his confidential clerk, who
was an unusually meek,