d that to my mind. Perhaps in a
sort of semi-visibility other letters were there, at least hinting
themselves. It was a place somewhere on the east coast, I knew,
either in Norfolk or Suffolk.

"Why!" cried I--and stopped.

What was the good of telling him?

Old Stuart had glanced up sharply, I am inclined to think almost
fearfully, into my face. "You--you haven't got it?" he said.

Shaphambury--I should remember that.

"You don't think you got it?" he said.

I handed the envelope back to him.

"For a moment I thought it might be Hampton," I said.

"Hampton," he repeated. "Hampton. How could you make Hampton?" He
turned the envelope about. "H.A.M.--why, Willie, you're a worse
hand at the job than me!"

He replaced the letter in the envelope and stood erect to put this
back in his breast pocket.

I did not mean to take any risks in this affair. I drew a stump
of pencil from my waistcoat pocket, turned a little away from him
and wrote "Shaphambury" very quickly on my frayed and rather grimy
shirt cuff.

"Well," said I, with an air of having done nothing remarkable.

I turned to him with some unimportant observation--I have forgotten
what.

I never finished whatever vague remark I commenced.

I looked up to see a third person waiting at the greenhouse door.

Section 7

It was old Mrs. Verrall.

I wonder if I can convey the effect of her to you. She was a little
old lady with extraordinarily flaxen hair, her weak aquiline features
were pursed up into an assumption of dignity, and she was richly
dressed. I would like to underline that "richly dressed," or have
the words printed in florid old English or Gothic lettering. No
one on earth is now quite so richly dressed as she was, no one old
or young indulges in so quiet and yet so profound a sumptuosity.
But you must not imagine any extravagance of outline or any beauty
or richness of color. The predominant colors were black and fur
browns, and the effect of richness was due entirely to the extreme
costliness of the materials employed. She affected silk brocades
with rich and elaborate patterns, priceless black lace over creamy
or purple satin, intricate trimmings through which threads and
bands of velvet wriggled, and in the winter rare furs. Her gloves
fitted exquisitely, and ostentatiously simple chains of fine gold
and pearls, and a great number of bracelets, laced about her little
person. One was forced to feel that the slightest article she wo