"MY LORD,--You will have received, I presume, a
communication addressed to you and intended for me. The enclosed
speaks for itself. I send it to you because it is my duty to do so.
If I were a young man, though I am not of your class, I would kill
you. But I am growing old, and my day is over. All I ask of you is
never, _under any circumstances_, to let my wife know of her
mistake about the letters. I do not wish to grieve her, or cause
her more suffering than you have already brought upon her.
"Believe me,
"Yours faithfully,
"JOSIAH BROWN."

Then he got down the _Peerage_ and found the correct form of
superscription he must place upon the envelope.

He folded the two letters, his own and Theodora's, and, slipping them
in, sealed the packet with his great seal which was graven with a deep
J.B. And lest he should change his mind, he rang the bell for the
waiter, and had it despatched to the post at once--to be sent by
express. If possible it must reach Lord Bracondale at the same time as
the other letter--Theodora's letter to himself in the wrong envelope.

And then poor Josiah subsided into his chair again, and suffered and
suffered. He was conscious of nothing else--just intense, overwhelming
suffering.

When his secretary, from his office in the City, came in about
luncheon-time to transact some important business, he was horrified and
distressed to see the change in his patron; for Josiah looked crumpled
and shrivelled and old.

"I caught a chill coming from Bessington last night," he explained, "and
I will send for Toplington to give me a draught if you will kindly touch
the bell."

Then he tried to concentrate his mind on his affairs and get through the
day. But the gray look kept growing and growing, and the secretary
decided towards evening to suggest sending for Theodora. Josiah,
however, would not hear of this. He was not ill, he said, it was merely
a chill; he would be quite restored by a night's rest, and Mrs. Brown
would be with him, anyway, in the morning. Of what use to alarm her
unnecessarily. But he had unfortunately mislaid her letter with the
exact time of her train, so he had better telegraph to her before six
o'clock to make sure. He wrote it out himself. Just:

"Stupidly mislaid your letter. What time did you say for the
carriage to meet your train?