JOHN  BABRINGTON  COWLES.  337

The  whole  effect  of  my  recollections  was  unpleas-
ant to  a  degree,  and  yet  there  was  no  tangible  charge
which  I  could  bring  against  the  woman.  It  would
be  worse  than  useless  to  attempt  to  warn  my  friend
until  I  had  definitely  made  up  my  mind  what  I  was
to  warn  him  against.  He  would  treat  any  charge
against  her  with  scorn.  What  could  I  do?  How
could  I  get  at  some  tangible  conclusion  as  to  her
character  and  antecedents?  "No  one  in  Edinburgh
knew  them  except  as  recent  acquaintances.  She  waa
an  orphan,  and,  as  far  as  I  knew,  she  had  never  dis-
closed where  her  former  home  had  been.  Suddenly
an  idea  struck  me.  Among  my  father's  friends  there
was  a  Colonel  Joyce,  who  had  served  a  long  time  in
India  upon  the  staff,  and  who  would  be  likely  to
know  most  of  the  officers  who  had  been  out  there  since
the  Mutiny.  T  sat  down  at  once,  and,  having  trimmed
the  lamp,  proceeded  to  write  a  letter  to  the  colonel.
I  told  him  that  I  was  very  curious  to  gain  some  par-
ticulars about  a  certain  Captain  Northcott,  who  had
served  in  the  Forty-first  Foot,  and  who  had  fallen
in  the  Persian  War.  I  described  the  man  as  well  as
I  could  from  my  recollection  of  the  daguerreotype,
and  then,  having  directed  the  letter,  posted  it  that
very  night,  after  which,  feeling  that  I  had  done  all
that  could  be  done,  I  retired  to  bed,  with  a  mind  too
anxious  to  allow  me  to  sleep.
338  JOHN  BARRINGTON  COWLES.
PART  II

I  GOT  an  answer  from  Leicester,  where  the  colonel
resided,  within  two  days.  I  have  it  before  me  as  I
write,  and  copy  it  verbatim.
