ce.

He went out before he opened the envelopes, and then glancing at the
letters put them in his pocket with a thrill of satisfaction, meaning
to read them carefully after breakfast. Entering the hotel, he hung up
his coat and went to the dining-room. He was promptly served, and when
he went out after finishing his meal, saw Telford, who had apparently
just returned from the post office, standing in the passage, which was
rather dark. It looked as if he had been hanging up his coat, but he
stood near Foster's, and then moved on abruptly as another man came up.

Foster met them and saw that the last was the man whom he had
half-suspected of watching Telford on the first evening. As he passed,
he took the letters from his coat, and entering the rotunda sat down
and lighted his pipe. It was possible that Telford had meant to search
his pockets, but had been prevented by the appearance of the other, and
Foster frowned. He was feeling the strain of the constant watchfulness
and getting tired of intrigue. As a matter of fact, he hated that kind
of thing, and it would be a keen relief when he could attend to his
proper business and finish with the need for caution. In the meantime,
he did not know if he had found a fresh clew or not. After all, he had
not much ground for suspecting Telford.

Then Foster forgot his perplexities as he took out the letters. The
first was from Lucy Stephen, who said that the doctor had visited
Lawrence and was satisfied with his progress. She added that Foster
knew Lawrence disliked writing letters, but she wanted to reassure him
and wish him good luck. The note was short, but seemed to put Foster
on a footing of intimate friendship that he was grateful for, and he
thought Lucy had written with this object.

The other was from Alice Featherstone and his heart beat as he studied
it. She did not say much; they had still no news of Lawrence and her
father was very restless and anxious, while she feared her mother felt
the suspense. But she knew Foster would make every effort and would
not fail them; there was nobody else who could help. All she said
struck a note of quiet confidence. Her faith was unshaken; she trusted
him.

Foster thrilled and his weariness and dejection vanished. Alice would
have got Lawrence's telegram soon after she wrote and she had proof of
his honesty now. Still, he had only kept half his promise, and
although he had undertaken a task that needed abilit