:

"Sent out at 7.45. Received 7.51.
"From Robert Maitland to Miss Marlett.
"The Dovecot, Conisbeare,
"Tiverton.
"I come to-morrow, leaving by 10.30 train.
Do not let Margaret see the newspaper.
Her father dead. Break news."

"Why, that is my own telegram!" cried Maitland; "but what have you done
with the other you said you received?"

"That is the very one I cannot find, though I had both on the escritoire
in my own room this morning. I cannot believe anyone would touch it. I
did not lock them away, not expecting to have any use for them; but I am
quite sure, the last time I saw them, they were lying there."

"This is very extraordinary," said Maitland. "You tell me, Miss Marlett,
that you received two telegrams from me. On the strength of the later
of the two you let your pupil go away with a person of whom you know
nothing, and then you have not even the telegram to show me. How long an
interval was there between the receipt of the two despatches?"

"I got them both at once," said poor, trembling Miss Marlett, who felt
the weakness of her case. "They were both sent up with the letters this
morning. Were they not, Miss Harman?"

"Yes," said Janey; "I certainly saw two telegraphic envelopes lying
among your letters at breakfast. I mentioned it to--to poor Margaret,"
she added, with a break in her voice.

"But why were the telegrams not delivered last night?" Maitland asked.

"I have left orders," Miss Marlett answered, "that only telegrams of
instant importance are to be sent on at once. It costs twelve shillings,
and parents and people are so tiresome, always telegraphing about
nothing in particular, and costing a fortune. These telegrams _were_
very important, of course; but nothing more could have been done about
them if they had arrived last night, than if they came this morning.
I have had a great deal of annoyance and expense," the schoolmistress
added, "with telegrams that had to be paid for."

And here most people who live at a distance from telegraph offices, and
are afflicted with careless friends whose touch on the wire is easy and
light, will perhaps sympathize with Miss Marlett.

"You might at least have telegraphed back to ask me to confirm the
instructions, when you read the second despatch," said Maitland.

He was beginning to take an argumentative interest in the strength
of his own case. It was certainly very strong, and the excuse for the
schoolmis