'Your affectionate female servant,
'ISOPEL BERNERS.'

After reading the letter I sat for some time motionless, holding it in my
hand. The day-dream in which I had been a little time before indulging,
of marrying Isopel Berners, of going with her to America, and having by
her a large progeny, who were to assist me in felling trees, cultivating
the soil, and who would take care of me when I was old, was now
thoroughly dispelled. Isopel had deserted me, and was gone to America by
herself, where, perhaps, she would marry some other person, and would
bear him a progeny, who would do for him what in my dream I had hoped my
progeny by her would do for me. Then the thought came into my head that
though she was gone I might follow her to America, but then I thought
that if I did I might not find her; America was a very large place, and I
did not know the port to which she was bound; but I could follow her to
the port from which she had sailed, and there possibly discover the port
to which she was bound; but then I did not even know the port from which
she had set out, for Isopel had not dated her letter from any place.
Suddenly it occurred to me that the post-mark on the letter would tell me
from whence it came, so I forthwith looked at the back of the letter, and
in the post-mark read the name of a well-known and not very distant
sea-port. I then knew with tolerable certainty the port where she had
embarked, and I almost determined to follow her, but I almost instantly
determined to do no such thing. Isopel Berners had abandoned me, and I
would not follow her; 'perhaps,' whispered pride, 'if I overtook her, she
would only despise me for running after her;' and it also told me pretty
roundly that, provided I ran after her, whether I overtook her or not, I
should heartily despise myself. So I determined not to follow Isopel
Berners; I took her lock of hair, and looked at it, then put it in her
letter, which I folded up and carefully stowed away, resolved to keep
both for ever, but I determined not to follow her. Two or three times,
however, during the day, I wavered in my determination, and was again and
again almost tempted to follow her, but every succeeding time the
temptation was fainter. In the evening I left the dingle, and sat down
with Mr. Petulengro and his family by the door of his tent; Mr.
Petulengro soon began talking of the letter which I had rece