im. The less way he made in her affections, the more bitter he
became against you, till at last she had to tell him that his
conversation was disagreeable, and that he must never come to the house
again. He still did come to the door several times, but the maid told
him that he must not come in, and that she would scream out murder if he
attempted it. Soon after this, poor old Mrs Sandon fell ill and died,
and poor Miss Margaret was left alone without any one to assist her or
protect her. I asked her to come and live with me till she could make
arrangements what to do. She had friends in Shetland, though that is a
long way off, and I could not think what help they could afford her.
They wrote back begging that she would come to them, and that she should
be like their daughter, and they would be parents to her. Well, against
my advice, she resolved to set off, and away she went. She kindly wrote
to me once, to tell me of her safe arrival, and she thoughtfully paid
the postage, which was just like her, and very right. You shall see her
letter, for I do not think she would object to my showing it to you."

I thanked Miss Rundle very much for the account she had given me, but I
could with difficulty reply to her for thinking what I would do. All
sorts of ideas crowded into my mind. I scarcely, however, recollected
Charley Iffley and his behaviour. My thoughts flew off to Shetland, and
to Margaret Troall. Miss Rundle gave me her letter. I read it over and
over again. I made a note of the place from which she dated it. Miss
Rundle saw me, and asked me if I was going to write to her.

"No; I intend to go to Shetland," I answered promptly. "I have made up
my mind to that. After all you have told me, I shall not rest happy
till I have seen her. Perhaps I shall take up my abode there
altogether. My father's family come from Shetland, and if I could get
Aunt Bretta to come up there also, we might all be very happy."

I was much pleased by the kind way in which Miss Rundle seemed to
sympathise with me, and entered into all my views and plans, though she
herself had no personal interest in them. She told me, in course of
conversation, that she had not since seen Charles Iffley, but that she
believed he belonged to some man-of-war or other, at the time of which
she had been speaking, and that she understood he was still in the
service.

My plan once formed, I lost no time in putting it into execution. That
ver