me that my father was Sir
Richard's butler; that I have also discovered to be false, for one day
the old housekeeper, who called upon me at school, came here, and was
closeted with Lady R--for half-an-hour. When she went away, I called a
hackney-coach for her, and getting behind it, went home with her to her
lodgings. When I found out where she lived, I hastened back immediately
that I might not be missed, intending to have made a call upon her. The
next day Lady R--gave me a letter to put in the twopenny-post; it was
directed to a Mrs Green, to the very house where the hackney-coach had
stopped, so I knew it was for the old housekeeper. Instead of putting
the letter in the post, I kept it till the evening, and then took it
myself.

"`Mrs Green,' said I, for I found her at home with another old woman,
sitting over their tea, `I have brought you a letter from Lady R--.'
This is about a year ago, Miss Valerie.

"`Mercy on me,' said she, `how strange that Lady R--should send you
here.'

"`Not strange that she should send a letter by a servant,' said I, `only
strange that I should be a servant.'

"I said this, Miss Valerie, as a random throw, just to see what answer
she would make.

"`Why, who has been telling you anything?' said she, looking at me
through her spectacles.

"`Ah,' replied I, `that's what I must keep to myself, for I'm under a
promise of secrecy.'

"`Mercy on me, it couldn't be--no, that's impossible,' muttered the old
woman, as she opened the letter and took out a bank-note, which she
crumpled up in her hand. She then commenced reading the letter; I
walked a little way from her, and stood between her and the window.
Every now and then she held the letter up to the candle, and when the
light was strong upon it, I could read a line from where I stood, for I
have been used to her ladyship's writing, as you know. One line I read
was, `remains still at Culverwood Hall;' another was, `the only person
now left in Essex.' I also saw the words `secrecy' and `ignorant' at
the bottom of the page. The old woman finished the letter at last, but
it took her a good while to get through it.

"`Well,' says she, `have you anything more to say?'

"`No,' says I; `you are well paid for your secrecy, Mrs Green.'

"`What do you mean?' said she.

"`Oh, I'm not quite so ignorant as you suppose,' replied I.

"`Ignorant,' said she, confused, `ignorant of what?'

"`When were you last in Essex?' said I.

"`Wh