CHAPTER III THE RESULT—(continued)

Miss Lambert ran back to the house. She made a bee-line for the library, sat down at the writing-table, seized a pen and a sheet of paper, and began writing as if inspired. This is what she wrote, in part:

    "My Dear Mr Hancock,—I have written several letters to you in reply to yours, but I tore them up simply because I found it so difficult to express what I wanted to say....[Pg 300] I can never, never, marry you; I don't think I shall ever marry any one, at least, not for a long time ... deeply, deeply respect you, and father says you are the best man he ever met. Why not let us always be friends?... It's a horrible world, and there are so few people who are really nice in it ... you will quite understand ... etc."

Four pages of this signed,

    "Always your sincere friend,
    "Fanny Lambert."

Now we have seen that Miss Hancock had endeavoured as far as in her lay to help along her brother's interests with Miss Lambert. Yet on the receipt of the above letter the conviction entered the mind of James Hancock, never to be evicted, that his sister had, vulgarly speaking, "dished" the affair, and, moreover, that she had done so wittingly and of malice prepense.

Having gummed and stamped the envelope she went out herself and posted it.

When she came back she found Leavesley waiting for her.