Page:Lady Barbarity; a romance (IA ladybarbarityrom00snai).pdf/237

 divers ways, but ere I bestowed upon it the crowning indignity of all, its committal to the flames, the whim seized me to read its precious contents once again. Tearing off the cover, I drew forth four precisely folded sheets of foolscap. But directly afterwards, I think a feather might have felled me. There was not a word of writing on them!

What could be the meaning? The packet had been sealed implicitly with a great array of wax; had been addressed in a large, fair hand to the Secretary of State; had been ravished from the custody of Flickers, yet here it was, blanker than my hand.

I was wholly staggered. Presently I plagued my wits for explanations, but no matter how diligent my mind was it could not override the fact that the letter was empty. Later I took counsel of Mrs. Emblem, but she could merely stare and wag her silly head. On her suggestion, however, I resummoned William Goodman. He swore an oath that this was the only document on the person of the Corporal. When I pressed him on the point he reluctantly admitted that as they barred the door upon the prisoner after the rape of the packet, he called out to them to this, or similar, effect:

"These dirty doings is all that ladyship o' yours. I know; but harkee! just you tell that brazen jade o' yours the Captain's not a fool, the Captain's not, but smart, downright smart, my boys, and laughs at such as her. And tell her she's welcome to the paper, for it's not a bit o' use to her, nor to me, nor to the Captain, and she's welcome to chew it to