Letters from Mentone 240 XXX. Trying to read the Page 250 XXXI. The Interview 257 XXXII. Christine 261 XXXIII. Reinette’s Interview with Margery 272 XXXIV. Reinette’s Interview with Christine 278 XXXV. Margery and her Mother 289 XXXVI. Margery’s Illness 296 XXXVII. The Letter 312 XXXVIII. Mourning for Phil 320 XXXIX. Tina 333 XL. The Letters 337 XLI. Queenie Learns the Truth 344 XLII. Christine’s Story 355 XLIII. The Sisters 369 XLIV. The Explosion 376 XLV. Magnolia Park 392 XLVI. At the St. James 400 XLVII. The Yellow Fever 411 XLVIII. The Occupant of No. 40 420 XLIX. Sister Christine 430 L. Phil’s Story 438 LI. Conclusion 448 QUEENIE HETHERTON. CHAPTER I. INTRODUCING SOME OF THE CHARACTERS. The morning mail for Merrivale had just arrived, and the postmaster was distributing the letters. Col. Rossiter, who lived in the large stone house on the Knoll, had two; one from his wife, who, with his two daughters, was spending the summer at Martha’s Vineyard, and one from his son Philip, a young graduate from Harvard, who had been off on a yachting excursion, and was coming home for a few days before joining his mother and sisters at the sea-side. There was also one for Mrs. Lydia Ann Ferguson, who lived on Cottage Row, and was the fashionable dressmaker of the town. Mr. Arthur Beresford, the only practicing lawyer in Merrivale, had six, five of which he read hastily, as he stood in the post-office door, and then for a moment studied the superscription of the other, which was soiled and travel-worn, and bore a foreign postmark. “From Mr. Hetherton,” he said, to himself. “What can he want, I wonder?” and opening the letter, he read as follows: “HOTEL MEURICE, PARIS, June 10th, 18—. “MR. BERESFORD: “_Dear Sir_:—You will undoubtedly be surprised to hear that I am coming home. Once I expected to live and die abroad, but recently, with my failing health, there has come over me an intense longing to see America once more.