Mrs. Elmore, so far from dropping him, turned to Lily, who entered at that moment, and recounted the extraordinary adventure of the morning, which scarcely needed the embellishment of her fancy; it was not really a gallon of beer, but a quart, that Mr. Rose-Black had drunk. She enlarged upon previous aggressions of his, and said finally that they had to thank Mr. Ferris for his acquaintance. "Ferris couldn't help himself," said Elmore. "He apologized to me afterward. The man got him into a corner. But he warned us about him as soon he could. And Rose-Black would have made our acquaintance, any way. I believe he's crazy." "I don't see how that helps the matter." "It helps to explain it," concluded Elmore, with a sigh. "We can't refer everything to our being American lambs, and his being a ravening European wolf." "Of course he came round to find out about Lily," said Mrs. Elmore. "The Andersens were a mere blind." "Oh, Mrs. Elmore!" cried Lily in deprecation. The bell jangled. "That is the postman," said Mrs. Elmore. There was a home-letter for Lily, and one from Lily's sister enclosed to Mrs. Elmore. The ladies rent them open, and lost themselves in the cross-written pages; and neither of them saw the dismay with which Elmore looked at the handwriting of the envelope addressed to him. His wife vaguely knew that he had a letter, and meant to ask him for it as soon as she should have finished her own. When she glanced at him again, he was staring at the smiling face of Miss Mayhew, as she read her letter, with the wild regard of one who sees another in mortal peril, and can do nothing to avert the coming doom, but must dumbly await the catastrophe. "What is it, Owen?" asked his wife in a low voice. He started from his trance, and struggled to answer quietly. "I've a letter here which I suppose I'd better show to you first." They rose and went into the next room, Miss Mayhew following them with a bright, absent look, and then dropping her eyes again to her letter. Elmore put the note he had received into his wife's hands without a word. SIR,--My position permitted me to take a woman. I am a soldier, but I am an engineer--operateous, and I can exercise wherever my profession in the civil life. I have seen Miss Mayhew, and I have great sympathie for she. I think I will be lukely with her, if Miss Mayhew would be of the same intention of me. If you believe, Sir, that my open and realy proposition will not offendere Miss Mayhew, pray to handed to her this note. Pray sir to excuse me the liberty to fatigue you, and to go over with silence if you would be of another intention. Your obedient servant, E. VON EHRHARDT.