f this is my medicine,' said she. 'I have a great mind to
take it. But, then perhaps, it is not my medicine. Perhaps it is
poison.'

So she put the cup down upon the table again, glad, in fact, of a
plausible excuse for not taking the draught.

'I'll sit down in this rocking-chair,' he said, 'and wait till Hepzibah
wakes up. She will wake up pretty soon.'

So she went to the rocking-chair and sat down. She began to rock herself
to and fro, watching the little flames and the curling smoke that were
ascending from the fire. She remained thus for nearly a quarter of an
hour, and then she began to be a little tired.

'What a long night!' said she. 'I did not know that nights were so long.
I wish that Hepzibah would wake up. But I suppose she is very tired. I
mean to go and look out of the window, and see if the morning is not
coming. Beechnut said that we could always see it coming in the east, at
the end of the night.'

Malleville did not know which the east was, but she thought she would at
any rate go and look out of the window. She accordingly went to the
window, and pushing the curtains aside and opening the shutters, she
looked out. She saw the moon in the sky, and several stars, but there
were no appearances of morning.

There was a bronze ink-stand upon the table near the window, and some
pens upon it. The idea occurred to Malleville that perhaps she might
write a little while, to occupy the time till Hepzibah should wake up.

'If I only had some paper,' said she, 'I would write a letter to Agnes.'

Malleville carried the lamp now to the table by the window, and taking
great care to put it down in a place where it would not be at all in
danger of setting fire to the curtain, she took the pen and began her
writing. She worked patiently upon the task for half an hour. The letter
was then completed. Of course, it is impossible to give any idea in a
printed book of the appearance of the writing, but the letter itself, as
Malleville intended to express it, was as follows:

_Wednesday, midnight._

'DEAR AGNES,

'I like you because Beechnut says you like me. Please to answer this
letter.

'Your affectionate friend,

M.

Malleville only wrote M. instead of her whole name, Malleville, at the
bottom of her letter, because, just as she was finishing her work, the
lamp began to burn very dim. She was afraid that it was going out. So
she stopped with the M., saying to herself that Agnes would kn