, and would write
back immediately to acquaint the elder Miss Vanstone with the result.

The difficulty of sending this letter to the right address gave Mrs.
Lecount very little trouble. Remembering the name of the lawyer who had
pleaded the cause of the two sisters in Michael Vanstone's time, she
directed her letter to "Miss Vanstone, care of----Pendril, Esquire,
London." This she inclosed in a second envelope, addressed to Mr. Noel
Vanstone's solicitor, with a line inside, requesting that gentleman to
send it at once to the office of Mr. Pendril.

"Now," thought Mrs. Lecount, as she locked the letter up in her desk,
preparatory to posting it the next day with her own hand, "now I have
got her!"

The next morning the servant from Sea View came, with her master's
compliments, to make inquiries after Miss Bygrave's health. Captain
Wragge's bulletin was duly announced--Miss Bygrave was so ill as to be
confined to her room.

On the reception of this intelligence, Noel Vanstone's anxiety led him
to call at North Shingles himself when he went out for his afternoon
walk. Miss Bygrave was no better. He inquired if he could see Mr.
Bygrave. The worthy captain was prepared to meet this emergency. He
thought a little irritating suspense would do Noel Vanstone no harm,
and he had carefully charged the servant, in case of necessity, with her
answer: "Mr. Bygrave begged to be excused; he was not able to see any
one."

On the second day inquiries were made as before, by message in the
morning, and by Noel Vanstone himself in the afternoon. The morning
answer (relating to Magdalen) was, "a shade better." The afternoon
answer (relating to Captain Wragge) was, "Mr. Bygrave has just gone
out." That evening Noel Vanstone's temper was very uncertain, and Mrs.
Lecount's patience and tact were sorely tried in the effort to avoid
offending him.

On the third morning the report of the suffering young lady was less
favorable--"Miss Bygrave was still very poorly, and not able to leave
her bed." The servant returning to Sea View with this message, met the
postman, and took into the breakfast-room with her two letters addressed
to Mrs. Lecount.

The first letter was in a handwriting familiar to the housekeeper. It
was from the medical attendant on her invalid brother at Zurich; and it
announced that the patient's malady had latterly altered in so marked
a manner for the better that there was every hope now of preserving his
life.

Th