encke of all this were highly
satisfactory, and the worldly minded sister congratulated herself that
she had sent Violet abroad instead of insisting upon her going to
Canada.

She had neither seen nor heard anything of young Richardson since
Violet's departure, although Mr. Mencke had tried to post himself
regarding his movements. All he could learn, however, was that he had
left Cincinnati a few weeks after Violet sailed, but no one could tell
him whither he had gone.

This was something of a relief, although the Menckes would have been
glad to keep track of him, for a dim suspicion that he might have
followed Violet haunted them.

The young girl expected to hear from her lover soon after reaching
London, but three weeks went by, and not one line had she received. She
was getting very anxious and impatient, but of course she did not dare
to betray anything of the feeling, and so strove to bear her
disappointment with as bold a front as possible.

She, however, faithfully wrote to Wallace every two or three days, and
in each letter mentioned the fact that she had not heard from him, and
begged him not to keep her longer in suspense.

She imagined that she exercised great care in sending her letters so
that Mrs. Hawley would not suspect the correspondence, for she went down
to the hotel letter-box to post every one with her own hands.

But Mrs. Hawley had received orders from Mrs. Mencke to intercept all
such missives, and she, in turn, gave instructions to the hotel clerk
that all epistles addressed to "Wallace Richardson, Cincinnati, Ohio,"
be returned to her.

Thus the lovers never heard one word from each other--though, to the
woman's credit be it said, if there was any credit due her--she
conscientiously burned every letter, unopened, for she was secretly very
fond of Violet and could not bring herself to wrong her still further by
perusing the sacred expressions of her loving little heart, or the fond
words which Wallace intended only for her eye.

But Violet, though anxious, could not find much time to indulge her
grief, for she was kept in such a constant round of excitement. Several
times Nellie awoke in the night to find her weeping, but, upon inquiring
the cause of her tears, Violet would either avoid a direct reply, or
allow her friend to attribute her grief to homesickness.

One day, about six weeks after Mrs. Hawley and her party reached London,
every one appeared very much surprised by the arriv