nd that nurse had 'found up' a
quantity of writing-paper and envelopes at Lomore, as well as stamps,
all of which she had packed into the bureau and brought south with her,
besides other treasures, the looking over which took Vava some time. But
at last she set to work to write the letter; and, being very much
excited by all the events of the day, she took a large sheet of paper,
and wrote a long letter to the junior partner, which was likely to amuse
him very much. It ran as follows:

'DEAR MR. JONES,--Thank you very much for offering to give my
sister a holiday. She says to tell you she is very busy putting
down the stair-carpet, so can't answer herself; but she will be
quite able to come to the office on Monday morning at the usual
time. She did not say she was putting down the stair-carpet, but
she is; it's a horrid work, as you have to pad it. When I 'm rich
I'll have workmen to do all that when I move house, and never go
near it till it's quite tidy. I can't find a single thing.

'The other Joneses who have bought Lomore (I hope they are no
relation of yours) have been very kind; they have sent down all the
furniture of Stella's sitting-room, and lots and lots of things
that they must want themselves, and I'm sorry I called them
"horrid;" they have been very friendly to us, and even brought us
to town in their motor. I only said that because I felt horrid at
that moment to think of an English Jones being Laird of Lomore. Oh
dear! I forgot your name was Jones; but I would not mind your being
laird so much, you look a great deal more like one than old Mr.
Montague Jones. But our old nurse, whom we found here this morning,
says he has been very good to all the old servants, and is not
turning out one, or changing anything; so things might have been
worse. I must stop and help to put the house in order.--I remain,
your sincere friend, VAVA WHARTON.

'_P.S._--Please be sensible, and don't mind Stella being so stiff
and stuck-up; it's being poor that makes her like that, and I'm
sure she's grateful to you, really. V. W.'

Now, Vava was a very open child; but it never entered her head that she
ought not to have written a letter like that to Mr. James Jones, nor
that her sister would expect to see it. 'Nursie' had said that there
were stamps there, and evidently meant her to write, close, and pos