For an instant she thought it might be a letter for her, and she seized it with an eager cry.

But no; it was addressed to Mrs. Farnum, though it bore the Heathdale postmark, and was in the handwriting of Lady Linton.

Virgie grew deathly white, and clutched at her throat, for it seemed as if she were suffocating.

Then she mastered her emotion, and crept away to her chamber to read the letter, for she felt that it contained some fatal news, and she wished no one to witness her suffering as she read it.

With it convulsively clasped in her hands, she fell upon her knees and sobbed: 

“Oh, Heaven, spare me deeper sorrow! oh, do not confirm my shame!”

It was some time before she could compose herself enough to read that fatal missive, but at length she unfolded it and began to peruse it.

* * * * *

“Dear Myra,” the letter began, “you may be surprised by the contents of this, but I cannot bring myself to address that person by the name which she claims, and so feel compelled to ask you to oblige me by giving her a message, or, perhaps what would be better, allow her to read this letter for herself.  My brother is away from home just now, and, as my custom is in his absence, I open all letters of a private nature, and act as I judge best regarding them.  The wildest epistle imaginable came to him yesterday and I was thankful that he was away, for he is so very happy that it must have shocked him exceedingly and I shall need to communicate its contents very delicately to him.

“That girl of whom you wrote me in your last actually claims to be his lawful wife—­believes it, I suppose, poor child—­and cannot understand how utterly impossible it would be for any one belonging to an old and honorable family like ours to ally himself with one so low in the social scale.  I am shocked that my brother should have been guilty of anything so out of character as she represents while he was abroad.  I am sincerely sorry for the wrong which it appears he has done her, if what she says is true, and shall insist that he provide comfortably for her for the future; but, of course, the idea that she has a right to come here as mistress is preposterous, and I trust that you will make it appear so to her.  Advise her to renounce at once all claim to the name, and settle quietly in some place where she is not known, and perhaps she may be able to bring up her child in a respectable way, so that its prospects will not be hampered in the future by its mother’s mistake.

“Will and Margie returned while I was writing to you, and both look so well and happy that it does my heart good to see them.  Of course I had to stop for awhile, but now I will try and finish my letter.  I have had a serious talk with my brother, and he appears to feel very much troubled over his American escapade, confessed that he had done wrong, and gave me this hundred pound note, which I inclose for the benefit of the girl; and I sincerely trust she will do nothing more to disturb a happy household, and one which will be very much annoyed by any useless scandal.”