f her native city, and a
thousand memories of the past flitted before her. Katy broke the seal,
and as this letter contained some very important information, my young
readers may look over her shoulder while she reads it. It was as
follows:--

Liverpool, Nov. 13, 1845.

"Dear Friend:--I take my pen in hand to let you know that I am well,
and I hope these few lines will find you enjoying the same blessing. I
arrived to Liverpool safe and sound, and when I got home, I will tell
you all about it. Just as we got in to the dock, I kept thinking about
what you told me. They won't let us have any fires on board ship in the
docks; so we all board ashore. I asked the man where we stopped if he
knew such a merchant as Matthew Guthrie. He did not know him, and never
heard of him. Then I went round among the big merchants, and asked
about your grandfather. I asked a good many before I found one who knew
him, and he said your grandfather had been dead ten years. I asked him
where the family was. He said Mr. Guthrie had only two daughters; that
one of them had run away with her father's clerk, and the other was
married and gone to America. He said her husband belonged to Baltimore.
This was all he knew about it, and all I could find out. We shall sail
home in about three weeks. I thought you would like to know; so I wrote
this letter to send by the steamer. Drop in and see my mother, and tell
her I am well, and had a tiptop voyage over. No more at present from

"Your affectionate friend,
"THOMAS HOWARD."

Katy read the letter twice over, and then gave it to her mother, after
explaining that she had told Tommy her story, and requested him to
inquire about her grandfather. Mrs. Redburn was too much affected by
the news from her early home to find fault with Katy for what she had
done.

Both of them felt very sad for while Mrs. Redburn thought of her
father, who had lain in his grave ten years without her knowledge, Katy
could not but mourn over the hopes which Tommy's letter had blasted.

CHAPTER XVI.

ANN GRIPPEN PLAYS TRICKS UPON TRAVELERS.

The next day was Wednesday, and as school kept but half a day, Katy
resolved to spend the afternoon in finding out which of her employees
was in the habit of practicing the deception which Mrs. Gordon had
described to her. She could think of no one upon whom she could fasten
the guilt, unless it was Ann Gri