She addressed the envelope on the extreme top to--

"Mister edward winstanly
marchelands
near evverton",

put the stamp on upside down at the bottom, smeared the letter with her
thumb previously rubbed in the dust-pan, and dropped the epistle herself
into the village post-box.

It was extremely difficult to keep our faces the next morning when
Edward opened this strange communication, especially when we saw that he
took it in all seriousness.

"I say, Dick, look here!" he said, drawing his brother aside. "Just read
this, and see what you make of it. It appears to me there's going to be
an attempt to break into the house, and someone has written to warn us.
Whom could it possibly be from? There's no name or address on it."

Dick turned the dirty sheet of paper over and over in his hand, and
examined the envelope closely, but it was evident he could make no more
of it than Edward had done.

"What's the matter?" asked Cathy innocently. "What are you two putting
your heads together about?"

"I don't know whether I ought to tell you girls," said Edward in his
most fatherly manner. "I'm afraid you'll be scared out of your senses.
But after all perhaps it's wiser to let you know, for you're both pretty
plucky on the whole. Here, you may read the letter."

We seized it as if we had never seen it in our lives before, and looked
at each other with much apparent consternation.

"It's certainly meant for a warning," I said gravely.

"If I were you, Edward," remarked Cathy, "I should put it into the hands
of the village constable."

"Put it into the hands of the village fiddle-stick!" growled Edward.
"What help would poor old Gaskell be, I should like to know? He'd run
away if he saw the very tail of a burglar. I dare say he's all right to
lock up a drunken man on fair-day, or to slip the handcuffs on poachers
when the gamekeepers are holding them tight, but he'd be of no earthly
use in a case of this sort. Just you leave it to me. Dick and I will
undertake to look after the house. You girls had better lock your
bedroom door to-night; and be sure you don't let the servants get a hint
of it, or we shall have them all in hysterics."

So far our hoax had answered admirably, and Cathy and I retired upstairs
after breakfast in fits of delighted laughter.

"He looked so solemn over it," chuckled Cathy; "that touch about his
being the future squire was most effective. He feels he's quite a man
and