Chapter 26, A Burial Summary

One day, Lucy discovers that her letters are missing. She waits patiently, and the next day they are returned. Lucy knows that Madame has taken them as part of her surveillance, and she tries not to be offended. A few days later, Lucy sees that someone again has been through her letters. This time she is upset, since she suspects that Madame Beck has shared the letters with M. Paul, who visited with her the day before. She has noticed a change, an increased disapproval, in the way M. Paul looks at her. The letters are precious and somewhat sacred to Lucy. She knows that Graham's attention has shifted elsewhere and that these are likely to be the last letters from him.

Lucy decides to take drastic action. She takes the letters and goes to a broker, where she...