“I remain, sir, with Mr. Mazey’s respects and my own, your humble servant,

“SOPHIA DRAKE.”

V.

From George Bartram to Miss Garth.

“St. Crux, April 22d.

“DEAR MISS GARTH—­Pray excuse my not thanking you sooner for your kind and consoling letter.  We are in sad trouble at St. Crux.  Any little irritation I might have felt at my poor uncle’s unlucky interference in Portland Place is all forgotten in the misfortune of his serious illness.  He is suffering from internal inflammation, produced by cold; and symptoms have shown themselves which are dangerous at his age.  A physician from London is now in the house.  You shall hear more in a few days.  Meantime, believe me, with sincere gratitude,

“Yours most truly,

“GEORGE BARTRAM.”

VI.

From Mr. Loscombe to Mrs. Noel Vanstone.

“Lincoln’s Inn Fields, May 6th.

“DEAR MADAM—­I have unexpectedly received some information which is of the most vital importance to your interests.  The news of Admiral Bartram’s death has reached me this morning.  He expired at his own house, on the fourth of the present month.

“This event at once disposes of the considerations which I had previously endeavored to impress on you, in relation to your discovery at St. Crux.  The wisest course we can now follow is to open communications at once with the executors of the deceased gentleman; addressing them through the medium of the admiral’s legal adviser, in the first instance.

“I have dispatched a letter this day to the solicitor in question.  It simply warns him that we have lately become aware of the existence of a private Document, controlling the deceased gentleman in his use of the legacy devised to him by Mr. Noel Vanstone’s will.  My letter assumes that the document will be easily found among the admiral’s papers; and it mentions that I am the solicitor appointed by Mrs. Noel Vanstone to receive communications on her behalf.  My object in taking this step is to cause a search to be instituted for the Trust—­in the very probable event of the executors not having met with it yet-before the usual measures are adopted for the administration of the admiral’s estate.  We will threaten legal proceedings, if we find that the object does not succeed.  But I anticipate no such necessity.  Admiral Bartram’s executors must be men of high standing and position; and they will do justice to you and to themselves in this matter by looking for the Trust.

“Under these circumstances, you will naturally ask, ’What are our prospects when the document is found?’ Our prospects have a bright side and a dark side.  Let us take the bright side to begin with.

“What do we actually know?