So she was left alone and undertook, with trembling hands and dimmed
eyes, her unwonted task. She wrote a letter which, if those about her
could have seen it, would certainly have affected their feelings, and
would perhaps have made them think more highly yet of her meek forgiving
nature, for she neither blamed her sons nor reminded them of what they
had done; but rather seemed to offer a strange kind of apology for
troubling them, and to give a reason for doing so that was stranger
still.



THE LETTER.

"Son Daniel and Son Augustus,--This comes from your poor unfortunate
mother that has never troubled you these many, many years, and hoping
you and your families are better than I am at present, son Daniel and
you son Augustus; and my desire is both of you, that now you will not
deny your poor mother to come and see her, but will, on receipt of this,
come as soon as may be, for it's about my funeral that I want to speak,
and my time is very short, and I was never used to much writing.

"If you don't come, in particular you, son Daniel, you will break your
poor mother's heart.

"And so no more at present from her that never said an unkind word to
you.

"Elizabeth Melcombe."