The novel circumstances of the past week had almost driven from his mind all thought of Maud Enderby.  He regretted having asked and obtained permission to write to her.  She seemed so remote from him, their meeting so long past.  What could there be in common between himself and that dim, quiet little girl, who had excited his sympathy merely because her pretty face was made sad by the same torments which had afflicted him?  He needed some strong, vehement, original nature, such as Ida Starr’s; how would Maud’s timid conventionality—­doubtless she was absolutely conventional—­suit with the heresies of which he was all compact?  Still, he could not well ignore what had taken place between them, and, after all, there would be a certain pleasant curiosity in awaiting her reply.  In any case, he would write just such a letter as came naturally from him.  If she were horrified, well, there was an end of the matter.

Accordingly, he sat down on the morning after his visit to Ida, and, after a little difficulty in beginning, wrote a long letter.  It was mainly occupied with a description of his experiences in Litany Lane and Elm Court.  He made no apology for detailing such unpleasant matters, and explained that he would henceforth be kept in pretty close connection with this unknown world.  Even this, he asserted, was preferable to the world of Dr. Tootle’s Academy.  Then he dwelt a little on the contrast between this life of his and that which Maud was doubtless leading in her home on the Essex coast; and finally he hoped she would write to him when she found leisure, and be able to let him know that she was no longer so unhappy as formerly.

This he posted on Friday.  On the following Monday morning, the post brought two letters for him, both addressed in female hand, one bearing a city, the other a country, post-mark.  Waymark smiled as he compared the two envelopes, on one of which his name stood in firm, upright characters, on the other in slender, sloping, delicate writing.  The former he pressed to his lips, then tore open eagerly; it was the promised intimation that Ida would be at home after eight o’clock on Wednesday and Friday evenings, nothing more.  The second letter he allowed to lie by till he had breakfasted.  He could see that it contained more than one sheet.  When at length he opened it, he read this:—­

“DEAR MR. WAYMARK,—­I have an hour of freedom this Sunday afternoon, and I will spend it in replying as well as I can to your very interesting letter.  My life is, as you say, very quiet and commonplace compared with that you find yourself suddenly entering upon.  I have no such strange and moving things to write about, but I will tell you in the first place how I live and what I do, then put down some of the thoughts your letter has excited in me.

“The family I am with consists of very worthy but commonplace people.  They treat me with more consideration than I imagine governesses usually get, and I am grateful to them for this, but their conversation, especially that of Mrs. Epping, I find rather wearisome.  It deals with very trivial concerns of everyday life, in which I vainly endeavour to interest myself.