ride, with much disappointment. 'You said you would,
and now you won't. That is not fair!'

'But how can we send it if we don't know whom to send it to?'

'If you really want to send such a thing it can easily be done,' said
Mrs. Swancourt, coming to her step-daughter's rescue. 'An envelope
addressed, "To the Critic of THE COURT OF KELLYON CASTLE, care of the
Editor of the PRESENT," would find him.'

'Yes, I suppose it would.'

'Why not write your answer yourself, Elfride?' Mrs. Swancourt inquired.

'I might,' she said hesitatingly; 'and send it anonymously: that would
be treating him as he has treated me.'

'No use in the world!'

'But I don't like to let him know my exact name. Suppose I put my
initials only? The less you are known the more you are thought of.'

'Yes; you might do that.'

Elfride set to work there and then. Her one desire for the last
fortnight seemed likely to be realized. As happens with sensitive and
secluded minds, a continual dwelling upon the subject had magnified to
colossal proportions the space she assumed herself to occupy or to have
occupied in the occult critic's mind. At noon and at night she had
been pestering herself with endeavours to perceive more distinctly his
conception of her as a woman apart from an author: whether he really
despised her; whether he thought more or less of her than of ordinary
young women who never ventured into the fire of criticism at all. Now
she would have the satisfaction of feeling that at any rate he knew
her true intent in crossing his path, and annoying him so by her
performance, and be taught perhaps to despise it a little less.

Four days later an envelope, directed to Miss Swancourt in a strange
hand, made its appearance from the post-bag.

'Oh,' said Elfride, her heart sinking within her. 'Can it be from that
man--a lecture for impertinence? And actually one for Mrs. Swancourt in
the same hand-writing!' She feared to open hers. 'Yet how can he know my
name? No; it is somebody else.'

'Nonsense!' said her father grimly. 'You sent your initials, and the
Directory was available. Though he wouldn't have taken the trouble to
look there unless he had been thoroughly savage with you. I thought
you wrote with rather more asperity than simple literary discussion
required.' This timely clause was introduced to save the character of
the vicar's judgment under any issue of affairs.

'Well, here I go,' said Elfride, desperately tearing open the sea