"'It is a weakness that I am ashamed of that has caused this trouble,' she said. 'I have sat up in the lonely nights and read and re-read my letters, and then I began to copy them, copied even the handwriting, till I grew very perfect in it, and then I could not bear to destroy any of those precious words, but kept them, as I thought, in secret,--but now some one has _basely taken them from my desk_, and brought them to you. As for your letters to Mrs. Baxter, there are, I see, only one or two here. Give me only time and you shall have that cleared up also. I will write to Mrs. Baxter, beg her to explain how she let these letters get out of her possession, and ask her to inclose all the rest of your letters to her. I will take care that her answer shall come _through the post-office_, and not, as heretofore, inclosed in a letter to _me_; so that you may feel quite sure that there is no mistake, Madame La P----re.' "I felt baffled and guilty before her; and the next three days were most uncomfortable. I could not but feel _genee_ with Lina, while she maintained the character of wounded innocence. The evening of the third day, Justine handed to me a large packet which the postman had just brought, and upon which there were ten francs to pay. It was directed to me in Mrs. Baxter's well-known handwriting. I tore open the cover, and a shower of letters fell on the table. _All_ my letters to Mrs. Baxter, and one from herself, entreating to know the reason of this 'singular request of dear Lina's.' I was disconcerted and relieved at once, when, turning the wrapper listlessly in my fingers, my eye suddenly caught, on the reverse side, and _printed_ in large letters, these words,--'This packet was sent to the Postmaster in Bristol to be reposted to ----.' That was the end of it. I had paid ten francs for learning the agreeable fact that I had been duped,--for the satisfaction of knowing that for two years and a half I had been wasting my sympathy and even tears on a set of purely imaginary characters and the little _intrigante_ who had befooled me. "When I showed Lina the printed words on the wrapper, she turned very pale, but maintained a stubborn silence to all my reproaches. "'How could you deceive me so?' "'I don't know.' "'What reason _could_ you have?' "'None.' "'Lina! was there a particle of truth in anything you have told me?' "'No, Madame.' "This was all I could get from her; but as she left the room, she turned and said, looking at me half reproachfully, half maliciously,-- "'I suppose we had better part now. At any rate, you will at least own that I have interested you, Madame!'