must understand it
thoroughly before you can explain it to me. You'd better take the letter
and go into Bendit's office; translate it as accurately as you can,
writing it out so that you can read it to me. Don't lose a minute. I'm
anxious to know what it contains."

He called her back as she was leaving.

"This letter relates to a personal matter," he said, "and I do not wish
anyone to know about it ... understand ... no one. If anyone dares
question you about it, you must say nothing, nor give them any inkling
of what it is about. You see what confidence I place in you. I hope that
you will prove yourself worthy of my trust. If you serve me faithfully,
you may be sure that you will be taken care of."

"I promise you, sir, that I'll deserve your trust," said Perrine,
earnestly.

"Very well; now hurry."

But hurry she could not. She read the letter from beginning to end, then
re-read it. Finally she took a large sheet of paper and commenced to
write:

"Dacca, May 29.

"Honored Sir:

"It is with great grief that I inform you that we have
lost our Reverend Father Leclerc, to whom you wrote for
certain important information. When dying he asked me to
send a reply to your letter, and I regret that it could
not have been sent earlier, but after a lapse of twelve
years I have had some difficulty in getting the facts
that you desire, and I must ask pardon for sending the
information I now have in English, as my knowledge of
French is very slight...."

Perrine, who had only read this far to M. Vulfran, now stopped to read
and correct what she had done. She was giving all her attention to her
translation when the office door was opened by Theodore Paindavoine. He
came into the room, closing the door after him, and asked for a French
and English dictionary.

This dictionary was opened before her. She closed it and handed it to
him.

"Are you not using it?" he asked, coming close to her.

"Yes, but I can manage without it," she replied.

"How's that?"

"I really only need it to spell the French words correctly," she said,
"and a French dictionary will do as well."

She knew that he was standing just at the back of her, and although she
could not see his eyes, being afraid to turn round, she felt that he was
reading over her shoulder.

"Ah, you're translating that letter from Dacca?" he said.

She was surprised that he knew about this letter which was to be kept