enna assured him as he
came to a halt. Her tone was polite, but a faint note of interrogation
sounded in it. "You have had your breakfast?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Ah, you are early indeed! I was just about to sit down to mine."

"We don't want to interrupt, ma'am, but--" Here Cai looked helplessly
at 'Bias.

"Go on," growled 'Bias.

"We--we don't want to seem rude--"

"Never mind rude," growled 'Bias again. "Get it over."

"The fact is, there's been a mistake: a painful mistake. At least,"
said Cai, growing more and more nervous under Mrs Bosenna's gaze of calm
inquiry, "it _would_ be painful, if it weren't so absurd." He forced a
laugh.

"Don't make noises like that," commanded 'Bias. "Get it over."

"It's about those letters, ma'am."

"Letters?" Mrs Bosenna opened her dark eyes wide; and turned them
interrogatively upon Dinah. "Letters?"

"Letters?" repeated Dinah, taking her cue.

Relief broke like a sun-burst over Cai's face. "But perhaps you don't
read your letters, ma'am, until after breakfast? And, if so, we're in
time."

"_What_ letters?" asked Mrs Bosenna.

"They've surely been delivered, ma'am? In fact we met the postman
coming from the house."

"Dear me--and did he tell you he had been deliverin' letters here?"

"No--he was on his round, and we took it for granted. Besides, we know
they were posted in time."

"William Skin takes the letters some days," suggested Dinah, "if he
happens to overtake the post on his way back with the cart. It saves
the man a climb up the hill."

"I wonder--" mused Mrs Bosenna.

"Where is he?" Cai's bewildered brain darted at the impossible
stratagem of intercepting Skin and getting the letters from him.

"Stabling the pony at this moment, I expect. . . . But I don't
understand. What letters are you talkin' about? What _sort_ of
letters?"

"There--there was one from me and one from 'Bias--"

"Goodness!" she broke in, smiling pleasantly, "What, another
invitation?"

"Well--" began Cai.

"Yes," struck in 'Bias.

"You might call it an invitation, o' sorts," Cai conceded.

"'_Course_ you might," said 'Bias positively.

"You are very mysterious this morning, you two." The widow turned from
one to another, her smile still hiding her amusement. "But let me
guess. It appears you both wished to send me an invitation, and
something has gone amiss with your letters."

"We both sent the same one," explained Cai, and blushed. "That's the
l