It ran as follows:

"Miss,--Yore father has just dismissed me, saying that he is too
pore to keep me any longer, which is a matter as I holds my own
opinion on, and that I am too uneddicated to be in yore company,
which is a perfect truth. But, miss, not feeling any how ekal to
bid you good-bye in person after bringing you up by hand and doing
for you these many years, I takes the liberty to write to you,
miss, to say good-bye and God bless you, my beautiful angel, and I
shall be to be found down at the old housen at the end of the
drift as my pore husband left me, which is fortinately just empty,
and p'raps you will come and see me at times, miss.

"Yore obedient servant,
"Pigott.

"I opens this again to say how as I have tied up your things a bit
afore I left leaving mine till to-morrow, when, if living, I shall
send for them. If you please, miss, you will find yore clean
night-shift in the left hand drawyer, and sorry am I that I can't
be there to lay it out for you. I shall take the liberty to send
up for your washing, as it can't be trusted to any one."

Angela read the letter through, and then sank back upon a chair and
burst into a storm of tears. Partially recovering herself, however,
she rose and entered her father's study.

"Is this true?" she asked, still sobbing.

"Is what true?" asked Philip, indifferently, and affecting not to see
her distress.

"That you have sent Pigott away?"

"Yes, yes, you see, Angela----"

"Do you mean that she is really to stop away?"

"Of course I do, I really must be allowed, Angela----"

"Forgive me, father, but I do not want to listen to your reasons and
excuses." Her eyes were quite dry now. "That woman nursed my dying
mother, and played a mother's part to me. She is, as you know, my only
woman friend, and yet you throw her away like a worn-out shoe. No
doubt you have your reasons, and I hope that they are satisfactory to
you, but I tell you, reasons or no reasons, you have acted in a way
that is cowardly and cruel;" and casting one indignant glance at him
she left the room.

Philip quailed before his daughter's anger.

"Thank goodness she's gone, and that job is done with. I am downright
afraid of her, and the worst of it is she speaks the truth," said
Philip to himself, as the door closed.

Ten days after this incident, Angela heard c