d to a light red, packages of letters of her various
correspondents in her days of hope and anticipation, down to those of
solitude and age. We looked over some of them, but they appeared to
both of us to be sacred, and they were, after a slight examination,
committed to the flames.

After we had examined all the apparent receptacles in these cabinets, we
took them up between us, and shook them, and in most cases found out
that there were secret drawers containing other treasures. There was
one packet of letters which caught my eye; it was from a Miss De Benyon.
I seized it immediately, and showed the inscription to Mr Cophagus.
"Pooh--nothing at all--her mother was a De Benyon."

"Have you any objection to my looking at these letters?"

"No--read--nothing in them."

I laid them on one side, and we proceeded in our search when Mr
Cophagus took up a sealed packet. "Heh! what's this--De Benyon again?
Japhet, look here."

I took the packet; it was seated and tied with red tape. "Papers
belonging to Lieutenant William De Benyon, to be returned to him at my
decease."

"Alice Maitland, _with great care_," was written at the bottom of the
envelope.

"This is it, my dear sir," cried I, jumping up and embracing Mr
Cophagus; "these are the papers which I require. May I keep them?"

"Mad--quite mad--go to Bedlam--strait waistcoat--head shaved--and so
on."

PART TWO, CHAPTER NINETEEN.

I AM NOT CONTENT WITH MINDING MY OWN BUSINESS, BUT MUST HAVE A HAND IN
THAT OF OTHERS, BY WHICH MEANS I PUT MY FOOT IN IT.

He then, after his own fashion, told me, that, as executor he must
retain those papers; pointed out to me the little probability there was
of their containing any information relative to my birth, even allowing
that a person of the name of De Benyon did call at the Foundling to ask
for me, which was only a supposition; and, finally, overthrew all the
hopes which had been, for so many days, buoying me up. When he had
finished, I threw myself upon the sofa in despair, and wished, at the
moment, that I had never been born. Still hope again rose uppermost,
and I would have given all I possessed to have been able to break open
the seals of that packet, and have read the contents. At one moment I
was so frantic, that I was debating whether I should not take them from
Mr Cophagus by force, and run off with them. At last I rose, and
commenced reading the letters which I had put aside, but there was
nothing in