When Fred left Scroope it was understood that he was to correspond with his aunt.  The Earl would have been utterly lost had he attempted to write a letter to his nephew without having something special to communicate to him.  But Lady Scroope was more facile with her pen, and it was rightly thought that the heir would hardly bring himself to look upon Scroope as his home, unless some link were maintained between himself and the place.  Lady Scroope therefore wrote once a week,—­telling everything that there was to be told of the horses, the game, and even of the tenants.  She studied her letters, endeavouring to make them light and agreeable,—­such as a young man of large prospects would like to receive from his own mother.  He was “Dearest Fred,” and in one of those earliest written she expressed a hope that should any trouble ever fall upon him he would come to her as to his dearest friend.  Fred was not a bad correspondent, and answered about every other letter.  His replies were short, but that was a matter of course.  He was “as jolly as a sandboy,” “right as a trivet;” had had “one or two very good things,” and thought that upon the whole he liked Ennis better than Limerick.  “Johnstone is such a deuced good fellow!” Johnstone was the captain of the 20th Hussars who happened to be stationed with him at Limerick.  Lady Scroope did not quite like the epithet, but she knew that she had to learn to hear things to which she had hitherto not been accustomed.

This was all very well;—­but Lady Scroope, having a friend in Co.  Clare, thought that she might receive tidings of the adopted one which would be useful, and with this object she opened a correspondence with Lady Mary Quin.  Lady Mary Quin was a daughter of the Earl of Kilfenora, and was well acquainted with all County Clare.  She was almost sure to hear of the doings of any officers stationed at Ennis, and would do so certainly in regard to an officer that was specially introduced to her.  Fred Neville was invited to stay at Castle Quin as long as he pleased, and actually did pass one night under its roof.  But, unfortunately for him, that spirit of adventure which he was determined to indulge led him into the neighbourhood of Castle Quin when it was far from his intention to interfere with the Earl or with Lady Mary, and thus led to the following letter which Lady Scroope received about the middle of December,—­just a week before Fred’s return to the Manor.

   Quin castle, Ennistimon,
   14 December, 18—.

   My dear lady Scroope,

Since I wrote to you before, Mr. Neville has been here once, and we all liked him very much.  My father was quite taken with him.  He is always fond of the young officers, and is not the less inclined to be so of one who is so dear and near to you.  I wish he would have stayed longer, and hope that he shall come again.  We have not much to offer in the way of amusement, but in January and February