At the end of his letter he had told her to go to Mrs Hurtle herself if she wanted corroboration of the story as told by him.  Of course he had known when he wrote it that she could not and would not go to Mrs Hurtle.  But when the letter had been in her possession three or four days,—­unanswered, for, as a matter of course, no answer to it from herself was possible,—­and had been read and re-read till she knew every word of it by heart, she began to think that if she could hear the story as it might be told by Mrs Hurtle, a good deal that was now dark might become light to her.  As she continued to read the letter, and to brood over it all, by degrees her anger was turned from...