Jane answered with tears, and retired to her chamber, where she wrote a long and tender letter to Mary, explaining her position.  This letter she got the chambermaid to deliver, and bribed her to secrecy.  Mary replied, in an epistle full of sympathy for her unhappy condition, and full of indignation at the harsh judgment of her parents in regard to herself.  The letter contained various suggestions in regard to the manner in which Jane ought to conduct herself, none of them at all favorable to submission and concluded with warm attestations of friendship.

From that time an active correspondence took place between the young ladies, and occasional meetings at times when the parents of Jane supposed her to be at the houses of some of their friends.

As for Mrs. Halloran, she was seriously offended at the sudden repulse both she and her daughter had met, and spared no pains, and let no opportunity go unimproved, for saying hard things of Mrs. Leland and her family.  Even while Mary was carrying on a tender and confidential correspondence with Jane, she was hinting disreputable things against the thoughtless girl, and doing her a serious injury.

The first intimation that the parents had of any thing being wrong, was the fact that two very estimable ladies, for whom they had a high respect, and with whose daughters Jane was on terms of intimacy, twice gave Jane the same answer that Mrs. Leland had given Mary Halloran; thus virtually saying to her that they did not wish her to visit their daughters.  Both Mr. and Mrs. Leland, when Jane mentioned these occurrences, left troubled.  Not long after, a large party was given by one of the ladies, but no invitations were sent to either Mr. or Mrs. Leland, or their daughter.  This was felt to be an intended omission.

After long and serious reflection on the subject, Mrs. Leland felt it to be her duty, as a parent, to see this lady, and frankly ask the reason of her conduct towards Jane, as well as toward her and her husband.  She felt called upon to do this, in order to ascertain if there were not some things injurious to her daughter in common report.  The lady seemed embarrassed on meeting Mrs. Leland, but the latter, without any excitement, or the appearance of being in the least offended, spoke of what had occurred, and then said—­

“Now, there must be a reason for this.  Will you honestly tell me what it is?”

The lady seemed confused and hesitated.

“Do not fear to speak plainly, my dear madam.  Tell me the whole truth.  There is something wrong, and I ought to know it.  Put yourself in my place, and you will not long hesitate what to do.”

“It is a delicate and painful subject for me to speak of to you, Mrs. Leland.”

“No matter.  Speak out without disguise.”

After some reflection, the lady said—­

“I have daughters, and am tremblingly alive to their good.  I feel it to be my duty to protect them from all associations likely to do them an injury.  Am I not right in this?”