om and to the ladies at their sewing, dragging the pouch
behind her.

Little she knew of its contents; or that among them would come the
solution of that "wonder" that now so constantly tormented her:--"Who
were my parents?"

CHAPTER XIII

A MESSAGE FOR THE CAMP

When the gray-haired "Boys" had set out for camp, they had left word at
the farm that they wished no newspapers or mail matter of that sort
forwarded them. Also, most of them had, before leaving their own homes,
asked that no letters should be written except such as were important,
and these should be duly marked that. They wished to forget care and the
outside world as far as possible, and to live in the faith that "no news
is good news."

Therefore, since a fortnight had elapsed, there was a table in the
living-room already heaped with the mail which had accumulated during
that time. Each man's portion of it was carefully sorted and placed by
itself; but this morning Auntie Lu, upon whom that duty devolved, did
not augment her brother's heap by the three envelopes she had taken from
the pouch. She sat long with them in her lap, pondering the course she
should follow, for two bore a Richmond postmark and one that of
Annapolis, and each was marked according to direction: "Important."

Miss Greatorex and Dorothy had both received a letter and were eagerly
perusing them upon a low window seat, and Mrs. Hungerford left her own
mail unopened to glance toward them, still considering what she should
do. Her gaze rested longest upon the girl, whose face was radiant over a
long, many-paged epistle from Father John. The young lips were parted in
a smile, the brown eyes were smiling too, and Dolly looked such a
picture of innocent delight that a pang shot through the observer's
tender heart. For she knew that those "Important" letters concerned the
child. They were addressed in Ephraim Cook's familiar, crabbed hand, and
the man would never have ventured to disturb the peace of his absent
employer except by that employer's command. Also, she knew that the only
business of "Importance" the Judge had entrusted to Mr. Cook was that
concerning Dorothy C. All law matters were attended to by other, more
experienced persons. She longed to break the seals and read the contents
for herself and wished now that she had asked permission so to do, but
she could not open another person's letter without that one's desire.

Presently, she glanced through her own letters a