sed Colonel Osborne between his teeth.

DEAR EMILY,

I called this afternoon, but you were out. I am afraid you
will be disappointed by what I have to tell you, but you
should rather be glad of it. They say at the C. O. that
Sir Marmaduke would not receive their letter if sent
now till the middle of June, and that he could not be
in London, let him do what he would, till the end of
July. They hope to have the session over by that time,
and therefore the committee is to be put off till next
session. They mean to have Lord Bowles home from Canada,
and they think that Bowles would like to be here in the
winter. Sir Marmaduke will be summoned for February next,
and will of course stretch his stay over the hot months.
All this will, on the whole, be for the best. Lady Rowley
could hardly have packed up her things and come away at a
day's notice, whatever your father might have done. I'll
call to-morrow at luncheon time.

Yours always,

F. O.

There was nothing objectionable in this letter,--excepting always the
"Dear Emily,"--nothing which it was not imperative on Colonel Osborne
to communicate to the person to whom it was addressed. Trevelyan must
now go up-stairs and tell the contents of the letter to his wife.
But he felt that he had created for himself a terrible trouble. He
must tell his wife what was in the letter, but the very telling of
it would be a renewing of the soreness of his wound. And then what
was to be done in reference to the threatened visit for the Sunday
morning? Trevelyan knew very well that were his wife denied at
that hour, Colonel Osborne would understand the whole matter. He
had doubtless in his anger intended that Colonel Osborne should
understand the whole matter; but he was calmer now than he had been
then, and almost wished that the command given by him had not been so
definite and imperious. He remained with his arm on the mantel-piece,
thinking of it, for some ten minutes, and then went up into the
drawing-room. "Emily," he said, walking up to the table at which she
was sitting, "you had better read that letter."

"I would so much rather not," she replied haughtily.

"Then Nora can read it. It concerns you both equally."

Nora, with hesitating hand, took the letter and read it. "They are
not to come after all," said she, "till next February."

"And why not?" asked Mrs. Trevelyan.

"Something about the session. I don't