e three.

"An old woman who was looking at them too, called out then, 'Oh, you
brute, I hate you,' and Val said to her, 'My good lady, allow me to
suggest that it is not hatred you feel, but envy. Envy is a very bad
passion, and it is our duty to try and restrain it.' 'Sir,' said the
old lady, rather fiercely. 'No, we must not give way to envy,' Val
persisted, 'though, indeed, what are we in comparison with creatures who
can turn themselves inside out as soon as look at you, fly without
wings, and walk up a precipice by means of one pearl button?' 'If the
police were after you, it might be handy to turn yourself inside out,
I'll allow,' she answered, in a very loud, angry voice, 'so as they
should not know you; but I wouldn't, if I could, I'll assure you, young
man, no, that I wouldn't, not for all the pearl buttons in the world.'

"Well, I never wrote such a long letter in my life, it must count for
three, mind. We had a great deal more fun after that, but Val and I got
away, because a little crowd collected. Cray stayed behind, pretending
he did not belong to us, and he heard a man say, 'Perhaps the
gentleman's a parson; that sort always think they ought to be
_moralising_ about something or other.' And he found out by their talk
that the old lady was a clearstarcher, so when she was alone again we
went back. Val said he should be some time at Brighton, and he gave her
his address and offered her his washing. She asked for his name, too,
and he replied--you know how grave Val is--'Well, ma'am, I'm sorry to
say I cannot oblige you with my name, because I don't know it. All I am
sure about is, that it begins with an M; but I've written up to London,
and I shall know for a certainty the week after next.' So she winked at
me, and tapped herself on the forehead. Val is very much vexed because
he came up to London about the will, and the lawyers say he cannot--or
somebody else, I don't know which--cannot administer it unless he takes
the name of Melcombe. So what he said was quite true, and afterwards we
heard the old lady telling her friends that he was demented, but he
seemed very harmless and good.

"It's an extraordinary thing, isn't it, that Val has turned out to be
rich. Please thank father for writing and telling me about it all. Val
doesn't seem to care, and he hates changing his name. He was quite
crusty when we congratulated him.

"Give my love to the kids, and tell them if they don't weed my garden
they will