at he had obeyed his mother's
behests, and had resolved not to trouble himself about Rachel any
further; and Rachel herself had become frightened if not despondent.
Could it be that all this should have passed over her and that it
should mean nothing?--that the man should have been standing there,
only three or four days since, in that very room, with his arm round
her waist, begging for her love, and calling her his wife;--and that
all of it should have no meaning? Nothing amazed her so much as her
mother's firm belief in such an ending to such an affair. What must
be her mother's thoughts about men and women in general if she could
expect such conduct from Luke Rowan,--and yet not think of him as one
whose falsehood was marvellous in its falseness!

But on the Thursday morning there came a letter from Luke addressed
to Rachel. On that morning Mrs. Ray was up when the postman passed by
the cottage, and though Rachel took the letter from the man's hand
herself, she did not open it till she had shown it to her mother.

"Of course it's from him," said Rachel.

"I suppose so," said Mrs. Ray, taking the unopened letter in her hand
and looking at it. She spoke almost in a whisper, as though there
were something terrible in the coming of the letter.

"Is it not odd," said Rachel, "but I never saw his handwriting
before? I shall know it now for ever and ever." She also spoke in a
whisper, and still held the letter as though she dreaded to open it.

"Well, my dear," said Mrs. Ray.

"If you think you ought to read it first, mamma, you may."

"No, Rachel. It is your letter. I do not wish you to imagine that I
distrust you."

Then Rachel sat herself down, and with extreme care opened the
envelope. The letter, which she read to herself very slowly, was as
follows:--

MY OWN DEAREST RACHEL,

It seems so nice having to write to you, though it would
be much nicer if I could see you and be sitting with you
at this moment at the churchyard stile. That is the spot
in all Baslehurst that I like the best. I ought to have
written sooner, I know, and you will have been very angry
with me; but I have had to go down into Northamptonshire
to settle some affairs as to my father's property, so that
I have been almost living in railway carriages ever since
I saw you. I am resolved about the brewery business more
firmly than ever, and as it seems that "T"

--Mrs. Tappitt would occasionally so design