“‘You have entered into no particulars,’ I said.  ’You have only frightened us—­you have told us nothing.’

“‘You shall hear the particulars, ma’am,’ said Mrs. Lecount; ’and you and Miss Vanstone shall judge for yourselves if I have frightened you without a cause.’

“Upon this, she entered at once upon a long narrative, which I cannot—­I might almost say, which I dare not—­repeat.  You will understand the horror we both felt when I tell you the end.  If Mrs. Lecount’s statement is to be relied on, Magdalen has carried her mad resolution of recovering her father’s fortune to the last and most desperate extremity—­she has married Michael Vanstone’s son under a false name.  Her husband is at this moment still persuaded that her maiden name was Bygrave, and that she is really the niece of a scoundrel who assisted her imposture, and whom I recognize, by the description of him, to have been Captain Wragge.

“I spare you Mrs. Lecount’s cool avowal, when she rose to leave us, of her own mercenary motives in wishing to discover her master and to enlighten him.  I spare you the hints she dropped of Magdalen’s purpose in contracting this infamous marriage.  The one aim and object of my letter is to implore you to assist me in quieting Norah’s anguish of mind.  The shock she has received at hearing this news of her sister is not the worst result of what has happened.  She has persuaded herself that the answers she innocently gave, in her distress, to Mrs. Lecount’s questions on the subject of her letter—­the answers wrung from her under the sudden pressure of confusion and alarm—­may be used to Magdalen’s prejudice by the woman who purposely startled her into giving the information.  I can only prevent her from taking some desperate step on her side—­some step by which she may forfeit the friendship and protection of the excellent people with whom she is now living—­by reminding her that if Mrs. Lecount traces her master by means of the postmark on the letter, we may trace Magdalen at the same time, and by the same means.  Whatever objection you may personally feel to renewing the efforts for the rescue of this miserable girl which failed so lamentably at York, I entreat you, for Norah’s sake, to take the same steps now which we took then.  Send me the only assurance which will quiet her—­the assurance, under your own hand, that the search on our side has begun.  If you will do this, you may trust me, when the time comes, to stand between these two sisters, and to defend Norah’s peace, character, and future prosperity at any price.

“Most sincerely yours,

“HARRIET GARTH.”

XI.

From Mrs. Lecount to Mr. de Bleriot.

“October 28th.

“DEAR SIR—­I have found the trace you wanted.  Mrs. Noel Vanstone has written to her sister.  The letter contains no address, but the postmark is Allonby, in Cumberland.  From Allonby, therefore, the inquiries must begin.  You have already in your possession the personal description of both husband and wife.  I urgently recommend you not to lose one unnecessary moment.  If it is possible to send to Cumberland immediately on receipt of this letter, I beg you will do so.