This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1905 edition. Excerpt: ...porch. She heard him fling the bag down on the seat, and turn away towards the village, without hindering himself for a single pace. Then the butler opened the door, took up the bag, brought it in, and carried it up the staircase to place it on the slab by Miss Aldclyffe's dressing-room door. The whole proceeding had been depicted by sounds. She had a presentiment that her letter was in the bag at last. She thought then in diminishing pulsations of confidence, 'He asks to see me Perhaps he asks to see me: I hope he asks to see me.' A quarter to eight: Miss Aldclyffe's bell--rather earlier than usual. 'She must have heard the post-bag brought, ' said the maiden, as, tired of the chilly prospect outside, she turned to the fire, and drew imaginative pictures of her future therein. A tap came to the door, and the lady's-maid entered. 'Miss Aldclyffe is awake, ' she said; 'and she asked if you were moving yet, miss.' 'I'll run up to her, ' said Cytherea, and flitted off with the utterance of the words. 'Very fortunate this, ' she thought; 'I shall see what is in the bag this morning all the sooner.' She took it up from the side table, went into Miss Aldclyffe's bedroom, pulled up the blinds, and looked round upon the lady in bed, calculating the minutes that must elapse before she looked at her letters. 'Well, darling, how are you? I am glad you have come in to see me, ' said Miss Aldclyffe. 'You can unlock the bag this morning, child if you like, ' she continued, yawning factitiously. 'Strange ' Cytherea thought; 'it seems as if she knew there was likely to be a letter for me.' From her bed Miss Aldclyffe watched the girl's face as she tremblingly opened the post-bag and found there an envelope addressed to her in Edward's handwriting; one he had written...