II.

FROM NORAH VANSTONE TO MISS GARTH.

"Portland Place.

"My dear Miss Garth,—More sorrow, more
disappointment! I have just returned from
Aldborough, without making any discovery.
Magdalen is still lost to us.

"I cannot attribute this new overthrow of my
hopes to any want of perseverance or penetration
in making the necessary inquiries. My
inexperience in such matters was most kindly and
unexpectedly assisted by Mr. George Bartram.
By a strange coincidence, he happened to be at
Aldborough, inquiring after Mr. Noel Vanstone,
at the very time when I was there inquiring after
Magdalen. He sent in his card; and knowing,
when I looked at the name, that he was my
cousin—if I may call him so—I thought there
would be no impropriety in my seeing him, and
asking his advice. I abstained from entering
into particulars, for Magdalen's sake; and I
made no allusion to that letter of Mrs. Lecount's
which you answered for me. I only told him
Magdalen was missing, and had been last heard
of at Aldborough. The kindness which he
showed in devoting himself to my assistance,
exceeds all description. He treated me, in my
forlorn situation, with a delicacy and respect,
which I shall remember gratefully, long after he
has himself perhaps forgotten our meeting
altogether. He is quite young—not more than
thirty, I should think. In face and figure, he
reminded me a little of the portrait of my father
at Combe-Raven—I mean the portrait in the
dining-room, of my father when he was a young
man.

"Useless as our inquiries were, there is one
result of them which has left a very strange and
shocking impression on my mind.

"It appears that Mr. Noel Vanstone has
lately married, under mysterious circumstances,
a young lady whom he met with at Aldborough,
named Bygrave. He has gone away with his
wife, telling nobody but his lawyer where he has
gone to. This I heard from Mr. George Bartram,
who was endeavouring to trace him, for the
purpose of communicating the news of his
housekeeper's serious illness—the housekeeper being
the same Mrs. Lecount whose letter you answered.
So far, you may say, there is nothing which need
particularly interest either of us. But I think
you will be as much surprised as I was, when I
tell you that the description given by the people
at Aldborough of Miss Bygrave's appearance, is
most startlingly and unaccountably like the
description of Magdalen's appearance. This
discovery, taken in connexion with all the
circumstances we know of, has had an effect on my
mind, which I cannot describe to you—which I
dare not realise to myself. Pray come and see
me! I have never felt so wretched about
Magdalen as I feel now. Suspense must have
weakened my nerves in some strange way. I feel
superstitious about the slightest things. This
accidental resemblance of a total stranger to
Magdalen, fills me, every now and then, with the
most horrible misgivings—merely because Mr.
Noel Vanstone's name happens to be mixed up
with it. Once more, pray come to me—I have
so much to say to you that I cannot, and dare
not, say in writing.

"Gratefully and affectionately yours,

"NORAH."

III.

FROM MR. JOHN LOSCOMBE (SOLICITOR) TO
GEORGE BARTRAM, ESQ.

"Lincoln's Inn, London,
"September 6th, 1847.

"Sir,—I beg to acknowledge the receipt of
your note, enclosing a letter addressed to my
client, Mr. Noel Vanstone, and requesting that
I will forward the same to Mr. Vanstone's present
address.

"Since I last had the pleasure of communicating
with you on this subject, my position
towards my client is entirely altered. Three days
ago, I received a letter from him which stated his
intention of changing his place of residence on
the next day then ensuing, but which left me
entirely in ignorance on the subject of the
locality to which it was his intention to remove.
I have not heard from him since; and, as he had
previously drawn on me for a larger sum of
money than usual, there would be no present
necessity for his writing to me again—assuming
that it is his wish to keep his place of residence
concealed from every one, myself included.

"Under these circumstances, I think it right
to return you your letter, with the assurance
that I will let you know, if I happen to be again
placed in a position to forward it to its destination.

"Your obedient servant,

"JOHN LOSCOMBE."

IV.

FROM NORAH VANSTONE TO MISS GARTH.

"Portland Place.

"My dear Miss Garth,—Forget the letter I
wrote to you yesterday, and all the gloomy
forebodings that it contains. This morning's post
has brought new life to me. I have just received
a letter, addressed to me at your house, and
forwarded here, in your absence from home yesterday,
by your sister. Can you guess who the
writer is? Magdalen!

"The letter is very short; it seems to have
been written in a hurry. She says she has been
dreaming of me for some nights past, and the
dreams have made her fear that her long silence
has caused me more distress, on her account,
than she is worth. She writes therefore to
assure me that she is safe and well—that she
hopes to see me before long—and that she has
something to tell me, when we meet, which will
try my sisterly love for her as nothing has tried
it yet. The letter is not dated; but the postmark
is "Allonby," which I have found, on
referring to the Gazetteer, to be a little sea-side
place in Cumberland. There is no hope of my