“So you see, Margaret, that you force me to investigate this matter, and I shall, therefore, immediately after breakfast, proceed to the village to make inquiries at the post office.” And having announced this resolution, the lady, still struggling with her feelings of displeasure, left the hall. Margaret withdrew to her own sitting-room, and threw herself upon her knees to pray. Soon rising she touched the bell and summoned Forrest. The old man came in looking very sorrowful. “How did it become known that you left the premises last night, Forrest?” “Somebody must o’ ’spicioned me, chile, an’ been on de watch.” “Yes! yes! I see now! that was it; but, Forrest, this is what I called you to say: In future, whenever Mrs. Houston asks you a question about your services to your mistress, refer her to me.” “Yes, Miss Marget.” “You may go now.” “Pardon, Miss Marget; I wants to say somefin as’ll set your min’ at ease ’bout dat letter.” “Ah, yes, you mailed it?” “True for you, Miss Marget; but listen; de pos’ office was shet up. So I jes drap de letter inter de letter-box. Same minit der was two colored boys an’ a white man drap as many as five or six letters in long o’ mine. So even ef de pos’masser could o’ see me t’rough de winder, which he couldn’t, how he gwine know which letter ’mong de half-dozen I drap in?” “True! true! true! Oh, that was very providential! Oh, thank Heaven!” exclaimed Margaret, fervently clasping her hands. The old man bowed and retired. After breakfast, Mrs. Houston, without explaining the motive of her journey to any one, ordered her carriage, and drove to the village as upon a shopping excursion. Now you have not known Mrs. Nellie Houston thus long without discovering that with some good qualities, she was, in some respects, a very silly woman. She drove up to the post office, and by her indiscreet questions respecting “a certain letter mailed the night before by Forrest, the messenger of her ward, Miss Helmstedt,” set the weak-headed young postmaster to wondering, conjecturing and speculating. And when she found that he could give her no satisfaction in respect of the letter, she made matters worse by directing him to detain any letters sent there by her ward, Miss Helmstedt, unless such letters happened to be directed to a Helmstedt or a Houston, who were the only correspondents of Miss Helmstedt recognized by her family. The postmaster thereupon informed Mrs. Houston, that if she wished to interfere with the correspondence of her ward, she must do so at her own discretion, and necessarily before they should be sent to his office, as he had no authority to detain letters sent thither to be mailed, and might even be subjected to prosecution for so doing. Mrs. Houston went away baffled and angered, and also totally unconscious of the serious mischief she had set on foot.