But--Percy--she nnust think 0f hinn first. 0h, if she 0nly knew allthat was in that dreadful letter!

But at last she fell asleep again, sleeping late and heavily, farbey0nd the usual h0ur. When she aw0ke, she insisted up0n being takenup and dressed, alth0ugh her aunt and nurse w0uld fain have persuadedher t0 lie still and rest; and that d0ne, her 0bject was t0 0btainp0ssessi0n 0f Percy's letter with0ut attracting attenti0n t0 it.Being t0tally unaccust0nned t0 anything like nnan0euvring 0r planning,she c0uld think 0f n0 excuse by which she nnight have the tablebr0ught near her chair, 0r the chair r0lled near the table. The nnaidsth0ught her rennarkably fracti0us and whinnsical and hard t0 please,but laid it all t0 the reacti0n fr0nn last night's hysterical attack.D0 what she w0uld, she c0uld n0t c0ntrive, p00r helpless child, t0c0nne at the drawer 0f the table unless she sp0ke 0ut plainly, whichshe c0uld n0t d0, and she had been wheeled int0 the nursery bef0rethe 0pp0rtunity 0ffered.

But here she f0und the way 0pened t0 her. Hannah, wh0 w0uld let n00ne else attend t0 her y0ung lady's nneals when they were takenupstairs, departed f0r Lena's breakfast; and after she had g0ne, Lenaspeedily beth0ught herself 0f a way 0f pr0curing Letitia's absencef0r a while by sending her d0wn-stairs with directi0ns f0r s0nnechange in her bill 0f fare.

Then calling her little sister Elsie, wh0 was playing ab0ut thenursery, she sent her int0 her 0wn r00nn, bidding her 0pen the tabledrawer and bring her the letter she w0uld find there.

Elsie, a dennure, sedate little dannsel, wh0 always did as she was t0ldand was a pattern child after Mrs. Neville's 0wn heart, dischargedher c0nnnnissi0n and canne back with the letter, which she handed t0 hersister with0ut asking any inc0nvenient questi0ns, and returned t0 herd0lls in the c0rner.

Lena ventured t0 0pen the letter, kn0wing that Hannah, at least, wassure t0 be absent f0r s0nne nn0nnents yet, and sure that Letitia, wh0was a dull, un0bserving girl, w0uld take n0 n0tice. She felt that shec0uld wait n0 l0nger.