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 there came two letters from Arthur; one that had taken its natural course, and another that had gone a round by some Dulham in Yorkshire.

"Now is not that so like the Post Office?" she said, "letters that are of no consequence are always delivered directly, but when Arthur writes to me, they send his letters all over England. Arthur is quite well, and thinks that he shall get away before the three months are over, and Madame von Moerkerke is grown quite plain. Poor woman, after all she was a good-natured little thing; and Arthur says just what you said, Aunt Sarah, about Colonel Hilton. I declare my throat is better, and if you will ring for Justine, Aileen, I will dress. What a horrid smell of smoke there is!"

There certainly was, Justine came up quite "éperdue," and in a high state of affected suffocation; leaving the doors open to let all the 'smoke in, and shutting the windows to prevent it from going out. She had always heard it was right to shut the windows when the