enormous faith in her father that went far to buoy her up.  While she felt the most intense compassion for him that he should be so hard pressed, it never occurred to her that it could be due to any fault or lack of ability in him, and she had, in reality, no doubt whatever of his final recovery of their sinking fortunes.  She wrote her mother that papa was going to the City every day, that they were getting on very well, and while they had not yet a maid, she thought it better to wait until they were perfectly satisfied before engaging one.  The letters she had received at first from Mrs. Carroll had been childishly amazed and reproachful, although acquiescent.  Her aunt had written her more seriously and with great affection.  She told her to send for her at once if she needed her, and she would come.

Charlotte, going down the street towards the station that night, expected a letter by the five-o’clock train.  She reached the post-office, which was near the station, at a quarter before six, and she found, as she anticipated, letters.  There were several for her father, which she thought, accusingly towards the writers, were bills.  It was odd that Charlotte, while not really morally perverted, and while she admitted the right of people to be paid, did not admit the right of any one to annoy her father by presenting his bill.  She looked at the letters, and, remembering the wretched expression on her father’s face on receiving some the night before, it actually entered into her mind to tear these letters up and never let him see them at all.  But she put them in her little bag, and opened her own letters and stood in the office to read them.  The train was not due for fifteen minutes yet, and was very likely to be late.  She had letters from her mother, Ina, and aunt.  They all told of the life they were leading there, and expressed hope that she and her father were well, and there was a great deal of love.  It was all the usual thing, for they wrote every day.  There were also letters from them all for Carroll.  The Carroll family, when absent from one another, were all good correspondents, with the exception of Carroll.  There was even a little letter from Eddy, which had been missent, because he had spelled Banbridge like two words—­Ban Bridge.

Charlotte read her letters, smiling over them, standing aloof by the window.  The post-office was fast thinning out.  There had been the customary crowd there at the arrival of the mail—­the pushing and shrieking children and the heavily shuffling loungers—­all people who never by any possibility got any letters, but who found a certain excitement in frequenting the office at such times.  Just as Charlotte finished her last letter and replaced it in the envelope, Anderson came in for his mail.  He did not notice her, but went directly to his box, which had a lock, opened it, and took out a pile of letters.  Charlotte stood looking at him.  He looked very good and very handsome to her.  She thought to herself