t last the rough draft was completed to
her satisfaction; and she made a fair copy of it forthwith, to be posted
the next day.

Her letter thus produced was a masterpiece of ingenuity. After the first
preliminary sentences, the housekeeper plainly informed Norah of
the appearance of the visitor in disguise at Vauxhall Walk; of the
conversation which passed at the interview; and of her own suspicion
that the person claiming to be Miss Garth was, in all probability, the
younger Miss Vanstone herself. Having told the truth thus far, Mrs.
Lecount next proceeded to say that her master was in possession of
evidence which would justify him in putting the law in force; that he
knew the conspiracy with which he was threatened to be then in process
of direction against him at Aldborough; and that he only hesitated to
protect himself in deference to family considerations, and in the hope
that the elder Miss Vanstone might so influence her sister as to render
it unnecessary to proceed to extremities.

Under these circumstances (the letter continued) it was plainly
necessary that the disguised visitor to Vauxhall Walk should be properly
identified; for if Mrs. Lecount's guess proved to be wrong, and if the
person turned out to be a stranger, Mr. Noel Vanstone was positively
resolved to prosecute in his own defense. Events at Aldborough, on which
it was not necessary to dwell, would enable Mrs. Lecount in a few days
to gain sight of the suspected person in her own character. But as the
housekeeper was entirely unacquainted with the younger Miss Vanstone, it
was obviously desirable that some better informed person should, in this
particular, take the matter in hand. If the elder Miss Vanstone happened
to be at liberty to come to Aldborough herself, would she kindly write
and say so? and Mrs. Lecount would write back again to appoint a day.
If, on the other hand, Miss Vanstone was prevented from taking the
journey, Mrs. Lecount suggested that her reply should contain the
fullest description of her sister's personal appearance--should mention
any little peculiarities which might exist in the way of marks on her
face or her hands--and should state (in case she had written lately)
what the address was in her last letter, and failing that, what the
post-mark was on the envelope. With this information to help her, Mrs.
Lecount would, in the interest of the misguided young lady herself,
accept the responsibility of privately identifying her