it
hanging between your finger and thumb?' 'I am in no hurry to open it,'
said I, with a sigh. The old woman looked at me for a moment--'Well,
young man,' said she, 'there are some--especially those who can read--who
don't like to open their letters when anybody is by, more especially when
they come from young women. Well, I won't intrude upon you, but leave
you alone with your letter. I wish it may contain something pleasant.
God bless you,' and with these words she departed.

I sat down on my stone, with my letter in my hand. I knew perfectly well
that it could have come from no other person than Isopel Berners; but
what did the letter contain? I guessed tolerably well what its purport
was--an eternal farewell! yet I was afraid to open the letter, lest my
expectation should be confirmed. There I sat with the letter, putting
off the evil moment as long as possible. At length I glanced at the
direction, which was written in a fine bold hand, and was directed, as
the old woman had said, to the young man in 'Mumper's Dingle,' with the
addition near ---, in the county of ---. Suddenly the idea occurred to
me, that, after all, the letter might not contain an eternal farewell,
and that Isopel might have written, requesting me to join her. Could it
be so?' 'Alas! no,' presently said Foreboding. At last I became ashamed
of my weakness. The letter must be opened sooner or later. Why not at
once? So as the bather who, for a considerable time has stood shivering
on the bank, afraid to take the decisive plunge, suddenly takes it, I
tore open the letter almost before I was aware. I had no sooner done so
than a paper fell out. I examined it; it contained a lock of bright
flaxen hair. 'This is no good sign,' said I, as I thrust the lock and
paper into my bosom, and proceeded to read the letter, which ran as
follows:

'TO THE YOUNG MAN IN MUMPER'S DINGLE.

SIR,

I send these lines, with the hope and trust that they will find you
well, even as I am myself at this moment, and in much better spirits,
for my own are not such as I could wish they were, being sometimes
rather hysterical and vapourish, and at other times, and most often,
very low. I am at a sea-port, and am just going on shipboard; and
when you get these I shall be on the salt waters, on my way to a
distant country, and leaving my own behind me, which I do not expect
ever to see again.

'And now, young man