, that the talent displayed by the young
authoress has already been the means of procuring her a
brilliant parti, which will remove all necessity for any
reliance upon her pen for a subsistence in the future._

'"Now, sir, allow me to correct two glaring errors in the
above. To start with, the author of "Illusion" is not an
authoress at all--his real name being Mark Ashburn, as I
ought to know, considering I happen to occupy the
position of being his uncle. Next, it is quite true that
my nephew has contracted a matrimonial alliance, which
some might call brilliant; but I was not aware till the
present that the party brought him enough to allow him to
live independent for the rest of his life, being under
the impression that there would have been no match of any
sort if it had not been for a near relative (who shall be
nameless here) on the author's side coming forward and
offering to make things comfortable for the young couple.
But he will have to rely on his pen for all that, as he
is quite aware that he is not expected to lay on his
oars, without doing anything more to repay the sacrifices
that have been wasted on him. Kindly correct, and oblige
yours,

'"SOLOMON LIGHTOWLER (the author's uncle)."'

'You know,' he observed when he came to the end, 'it doesn't do to let
these sort o' stories go flying about without contradicting them--but
I put it very quietly and delicately, you see.'

Mabel bit her lip. Was it possible that this dreadful old man knew
nothing--how was she ever to break it to him?

Mr. Humpage had listened to the letter with a grim appreciation. 'You
don't write a bad letter, Lightowler, I must say,' he remarked, with
an irrepressible chuckle, 'but you are a little behind the day with
your facts, ain't you?'

'What d'ye mean by behind the day?' demanded Uncle Solomon.

'Oh, Uncle Antony,' cried Mabel, '_you_ tell him--I can't!'

It is much to be feared that Mr. Humpage was by no means sorry to be
entrusted with such a charge. But if he was not naturally kinder
hearted, he was more acquainted with the amenities of ordinary society
than Mr. Lightowler, and some consideration for Mabel restrained him
then from using his triumph as he might have done. He explained
briefly the arrangement between Vincent and Mark as he understood it,
and the manner in which it had lately been made known. When he had
finished, Uncle Solomon