“Take the poor things home,” he said; “they
have seen the last of their father.”
Mrs. Westerfleld obeyed in silence. She
had her own reasons .or being in a hurry to
get home. Leaving the children under the
servant’s care, she locked herself up in the
dead man’s room and emptied his trunk of
the few clothes that had been left in it.
The lining which she was now to examine
was of the customary material, and of the
usual striped pattern in blue and white Her
lingers were not sufficiently sensitive to feel
anything under the surface, when she tried
it with her hand. Turning the empty trunk
with the inner side of the lid toward the
light, she discovered, on one of the blue
stripes of tire lining, a thin little shining
stain which looked like a stain of dried gum.
After a moment’s consideration she cut the
gummed line with a penknife. Something
of a white color appeared through the aper
ture. She drew out a folded sheet of paper.
It proved to be a letter in her husband’s
handwriting. An inclosure dropped to the
floor when she opened it, in the shape of a
paper. She picked it up. The morsel of
paper presented letters, figures, and crosses
arranged in lines, and mingled together in
what looked like hopeless confusion.
3 —The Letter.
Mrs. Westertield laid the Incomprehensi
ble slip of paper aside, and, in search of an
explanation, returned to tlio letter. Here
again she found herself In a state of per
plexity. Directed to “Mrs. Roderick Wester
field,” the letter began abruptly, without the
customary' form of address. Did it mean
that her husband was angry with her when
he wrote? It meant that ho doubted her.
