Madame had not returned.  That was well; she always visited my room first, and everything was precisely as I had left it—­a certain sign that her prying eyes and busy fingers had not been at work during my absence.

When she did appear, strange to say, it was to bring me unexpected comfort.  She had in her hand a letter from my dear Lady Knollys—­a gleam of sunlight from the free and happy outer world entered with it.  The moment Madame left me to myself, I opened it and read as follows:—­

’I am so happy, my dearest Maud, in the immediate prospect of seeing you.  I have had a really kind letter from poor Silas—­poor I say, for I really compassionate his situation, about which he has been, I do believe, quite frank—­at least Ilbury says so, and somehow he happens to know.  I have had quite an affecting, changed letter.  I will tell you all when I see you.  He wants me ultimately to undertake that which would afford me the most unmixed happiness—­I mean the care of you, my dear girl.  I only fear lest my too eager acceptance of the trust should excite that vein of opposition which is in most human beings, and induce him to think over his offer less favourably again.  He says I must come to Bartram, and stay a night, and promises to lodge me comfortably; about which last I honestly do not care a pin, when the chance of a comfortable evening’s gossip with you is in view.  Silas explains his sad situation, and must hold himself in readiness for early flight, if he would avoid the risk of losing his personal liberty.  It is a sad thing that he should have so irretrievably ruined himself, that poor Austin’s liberality seems to have positively precipitated his extremity.  His great anxiety is that I should see you before you leave for your short stay in France.  He thinks you must leave before a fortnight.  I am thinking of asking you to come over here; I know you would be just as well at Elverston as in France; but perhaps, as he seems disposed to do what we all wish, it may be safer to let him set about it in his own way.  The truth is, I have so set my heart upon it that I fear to risk it by crossing him even in a trifle.  He says I must fix an early day next week, and talks as if he meant to urge me to make a longer visit than he defined.  I shall be only too happy.  I begin, my dear Maud, to think that there is no use in trying to control events, and that things often turn out best, and most exactly to our wishes, by being left quite to themselves.  I think it was Talleyrand who praised the talent of waiting so much.  In high spirits, and with my head brimful of plans, I remain, dearest Maud, ever your affectionate cousin,

MONICA.’

Here was an inexplicable puzzle!  A faint radiance of hope, however, began to overspread a landscape only a few minutes before darkened by total eclipse; but construct what theory I might, all were inconsistent with many well-established and awful incongruities, and their wrecks lay strown over the troubled waters of the gulf into which I gazed.