oussed for her mother's last Christmas present.
It ran:

MR. HENRY AMORY
The Red House,
Chiswick, W.

"I don't know him," said Mrs. Avory. "What is he like?"

"Well, mum," said Eliza Pollard, "he's a short gentleman with a red
face and two boys, and he seems very angry."

"Ask him what he wants to see me about," said Mrs. Avory.

"I did," said Eliza Pollard, "and he said he could not tell me, but the
matter was of the highest importance."

Mrs. Avory took the card and descended to the drawing-room, where the
visitors were waiting for her.

Mr. Amory bowed. "Pardon me, madam," he said, "but I have come to know
what you have done with my caravan."

"Your caravan!"

"Yes, madam, my caravan. A caravan was sent as a present to my sons
some three weeks or a month ago, and your family, I am creditably
informed, seized and detained it."

"Excuse me," said Mrs. Avory, "but we did nothing of the sort. A
caravan was sent here for my children as a present, and we have simply
made use of it. They have been away in it for a fortnight. It returns
to-day!"

"Ha!" said Mr. Amory. "Perhaps you will have the goodness to inform me
who gave it to you?"

"That," said Mrs. Avory, "I can't do--"

"Ha!" said Mr. Amory.

"--because," Mrs. Avory continued, "I don't know. We have never
discovered. The giver wished to be anonymous."

Mr. Amory looked surprised, and became a shade less fierce.

"You took no steps to find out?" he asked.

"How could I? There was no clue to go upon."

"I see, I see," said Mr. Amory. "There has been a huge mistake. Perhaps
you will allow me to read you a letter which we received a day or so
ago:

"'DEAR CHILDREN,

"'I have just come back, much sooner than I expected; but, finding no
letter from you, I have made some inquiries as to what you have done
with the caravan, and, to my amazement, cannot discover that it has
ever reached you at all; and since, if it has not, this letter must be
all Greek to you, I may now say that on the 23rd of June a caravan
fully furnished for a journey should have arrived at your house with a
letter saying it was from your friend X., as it amused me to call
myself. I have been to the man whom I employed to take it to you, but
he is in hospital. His wife, however, is convinced that he did take it
to Chiswick all right. Please ask your father to try to discover to
what house it was sent. Tomorrow evening I shall come to see you all.

"'Your affectionate