follows:--

"A lady presents her compliments to Miss L. D., and earnestly
implores Miss L. D. to give her an answer to the following question.
Is Miss L. D. engaged to marry Mr. J. E.? The lady in question
pledges herself not to interfere with Miss L. D. in any way, should
the answer be in the affirmative. The lady earnestly requests that
a reply to this question may be sent to M. D., Post-office, 455
Edgware Road. In order that L. D. may not doubt that M. D. has an
interest in J. E., M. D. encloses the last note she received from him
before he started for the Continent." Then there was a scrap, which
Lily well knew to be in the handwriting of John Eames, and the scrap
was as follows:--"Dearest M.--punctually at 8.30. Ever and always
your unalterable J. E." Lily, as she read this, did not comprehend
that John's note to M. D. had been in itself a joke.

Lily Dale had heard of anonymous letters before, but had never
received one, or even seen one. Now that she had one in her hand,
it seemed to her that there could be nothing more abominable than
the writing of such a letter. She let it drop from her as though the
receiving, and opening, and reading it had been a stain to her. As it
lay on the ground at her feet, she trod upon it. Of what sort could
a woman be who wrote such a letter as that? Answer it! Of course
she would not answer it. It never occurred to her for a moment that
it could become her to answer it. Had she been at home or with her
mother, she would have called her mother to her, and Mrs. Dale would
have taken it from the ground, and have read it, and then destroyed
it. As it was, she must pick it up herself. She did so, and declared
to herself that there should be an end to it. It might be right that
somebody should see it, and therefore she would show it to Emily
Dunstable; after that it should be destroyed.

Of course the letter could have no effect upon her. So she told
herself. But it did have a very strong effect, and probably the exact
effect which the writer had intended that it should have. J. E. was,
of course, John Eames. There was no doubt about that. What a fool
the writer must have been to talk of L. D. in the letter, when the
outside cover was plainly addressed to Miss Lilian Dale! But there
are some people for whom the pretended mystery of initial letters
has a charm, and who love the darkness of anonymous letters. As Lily
thought of this, she stamped on the letter again. Who was the M. D.