he title--and that can't be
very far off, for the wicked old Duke of Deptford has got creeping
paralysis, like his father and grandfather before him, and is now
quite mad, and thinks himself a postman, and rat-tats all day long
on the furniture. Lady Jane is furious with her for not accepting;
and when Julia told her, she slapped her face before the maid!

"There's another gigantic beauty that people have gone mad about--a
Polish pianist, who's just married young Harcourt, who's a grandson
of that old scamp the Duke of Towers.

"Talking of beauties, whom do you think I met yesterday in the Park?
Whom but your stalwart friend Mr. Maurice (_he_ wasn't the beauty),
with his sister, your old Paris playfellow, and the lovely Miss
Gibson. He introduced them both, and I was delighted with them, and
we walked together by the Serpentine; and after five minutes I came
to the conclusion that Miss Gibson is as beautiful as it is possible
for a dark beauty to be, and as nice as she looks. She isn't dark
really, only her eyes and hair; her complexion is like cream: she's
a freak of nature. Lucky young Maurice if she is to be his fate--and
both well off, I suppose.

"Upon my word, if you were King Cophetua and she the beggar-maid, I
would give you both my blessing. But how is it you never fell in
love with the fair _Ida_? You never told me how handsome she is. She
too complained of you as a correspondent, and declares that she gets
one letter in return for three she writes you.

"I have bought you some pretty new songs, among others one by
Charles Kingsley, which is lovely; about three fishermen and their
wives: it reminds one of our dear Whitby! I can play the
accompaniment in perfection, and all by heart!

"Give my kindest remembrances to Father Louis and the dear Abbe
Lefebvre, and say kind things from me to the Torfses. Martha sends
her love to little Frau, and so do I.

"We hope to be in Antwerp in a fortnight, and shall put up at the
Grand Laboureur. I shall go to Malines, of course, to say good-bye
to people.

"Tell the Torfses to get my things ready for moving. There will be
five of us: I and Martha, and Daphne and two servants of her own;
for Daphne's got to take old Mrs. Richards, who won't be parted from
her.

"Good-bye for the present. My dear boy, I thank God on m