to the door the girl made a sign.

"Post it," she whispered and turned back into the room.

After leaving the house Foster walked along the road in a thoughtful
mood. The girl was apparently the man's daughter or niece. Their
relative ages warranted the surmise, and her quick explanation of how
she came to be talking to a stranger indicated that she recognized his
authority, while Foster thought she had been disturbed when she heard
his step. It was strange that she should urge him to post the packet,
and he would sooner have done so, but it was not a long journey to
Newcastle and he must keep his promise. Then he saw a tram-car coming
and dismissed the matter.

Going back to his hotel, he found there was an evening train and
decided to leave by it. Edinburgh had attractions, but he could come
back and was anxious to get rid of the packet, moreover he grudged the
time he spent away from the Garth. There were not many passengers at
the station and he found an empty compartment, where he read a
newspaper until he got tired and lifting a corner of the blind looked
out. Here and there a light rushed back through the darkness and
vanished as the express sped south with a smoothness that was a
contrast to the jolting he had been used to in Canada. Indeed, except
for the roar when they ran across a bridge and the confused flashing
past of lamps as they swept through a station, he could hardly have
imagined himself on board a train. There was, however, not much to be
seen, and he took out the packet.

It looked somewhat bulkier and he examined it carefully, but the cover
did not seem to have been removed. It could not have been replaced by