necessity of making Mr. Osgood unreservedly acquainted with her story,
in order to enlist his aid to procure tidings of Miss Wimple, whose
safety, health, and happiness were now far dearer to her than her own.

She did tell him all, and had reason to thank God for the courage
that made it a possible, even an easy, thing for her to do. Her
truly noble benefactor and protector, receiving her communication as
if he then heard it for the first time, assured her that in thus
confiding in the freedom of his mind, and in his honor, she had set
up a new and stronger claim to his interest and friendly care. She
had but enlarged his obligation to his until then unknown
correspondent for having given his children, to whom their governess
had already truly endeared herself, so admirable a teacher, so
precious a friend.

["But why," you will ask, "did not Madeline write to Miss Wimple?"
Because that provident angel had, without explanation, exacted from
her a promise that she would in no case write _first_. In truth,
Miss Wimple foresaw her own various suffering, and sought to spare
Madeline some cruel pangs, and herself the hard trial of disingenuous
correspondence.]

And Mr. Osgood would have started at once for Hendrik, where he was
not personally known to any one, to procure tidings of Miss Wimple
and allay the anxiety of Mrs. Morris, had Madeline not found, that
very day, her name in the _Herald's_ list of letters waiting to be
called for in the New York Post-Office. That letter was, indeed, for
Madeline, and its contents were as follows:--

"To Miss MADELINE SPLURGE,--Miss Wimple, of Hendrik, is very ill, and
poor, and friendless. It has been suggested to the writer of this
that you can help her. If you can, and will, there is no time to lose.
A FRIEND."

The "friend" was Simon Blount. Ever since the Athenaeum was closed,
he had hung anxiously about the place, frequently dropping in upon
the neighbors to ask--quite by-the-byishly, and by chance, it seemed
to them--after the health of Miss Wimple; and sometimes he waylaid
the little servant, as she passed to and fro between the bookstore
and the doctor's residence, and plied her with questions. On such
occasions he was sure to make the little maid the depository of certain
silver secrets, which forthwith she revealed to Miss Wimple in the
shape of whole basketfuls of comfortable stuff, "from the Doctor."
Adelaide had given the hint for this letter. Calling at the Athenae