e, and she hasn't modern notions, God bless
her! If I should sound that note first I should certainly spoil the
game. I can arrive at the papers only by putting her off her guard, and
I can put her off her guard only by ingratiating diplomatic practices.
Hypocrisy, duplicity are my only chance. I am sorry for it, but for
Jeffrey Aspern's sake I would do worse still. First I must take tea with
her; then tackle the main job." And I told over what had happened to
John Cumnor when he wrote to her. No notice whatever had been taken of
his first letter, and the second had been answered very sharply, in six
lines, by the niece. "Miss Bordereau requested her to say that she
could not imagine what he meant by troubling them. They had none of Mr.
Aspern's papers, and if they had should never think of showing them
to anyone on any account whatever. She didn't know what he was talking
about and begged he would let her alone." I certainly did not want to be
met that way.

"Well," said Mrs. Prest after a moment, provokingly, "perhaps after all
they haven't any of his things. If they deny it flat how are you sure?"

"John Cumnor is sure, and it would take me long to tell you how his
conviction, or his very strong presumption--strong enough to stand
against the old lady's not unnatural fib--has built itself up. Besides,
he makes much of the internal evidence of the niece's letter."

"The internal evidence?"

"Her calling him 'Mr. Aspern.'"

"I don't see what that proves."

"It proves familiarity, and familiarity implies the possession of
mementoes, or relics. I can't tell you how that 'Mr.' touches me--how it
bridges over the gulf of time and brings our hero near to me--nor what
an edge it gives to my desire to see Juliana. You don't say, 'Mr.'
Shakespeare."

"Would I, any more, if I had a box full of his letters?"

"Yes, if he had been your lover and someone wanted them!" And I added
that John Cumnor was so convinced, and so all the more convinced by
Miss Bordereau's tone, that he would have come himself to Venice on the
business were it not that for him there was the obstacle that it would
be difficult to disprove his identity with the person who had written
to them, which the old ladies would be sure to suspect in spite of
dissimulation and a change of name. If they were to ask him point-blank
if he were not their correspondent it would be too awkward for him to
lie; whereas I was fortunately not tied in that way. I was a f