Left to herself, Mrs. Dodd would have broken the bad news to Edward at
once, and taken the line of consoling him under her own vexation: it
would not have been the first time that she had played that card. But
young Mr. Hardie had said it would be unkind to poison Edward's day: and
it is sweet woman's nature to follow suit; so she and Julia put bright
faces on, and Edward passed a right jocund afternoon with them. He was
not allowed to surprise one of the looks they interchanged to relieve
their secret mortification. But, after dinner, as the time drew near for
him to go back to Oxford, Mrs. Dodd became silent, and a little
_distraite;_ and at last drew her chair away to a small table, and wrote
a letter.

In directing it she turned it purposely, so that Julia could catch the
address: _"Edward Dodd, Esq., Exeter College, Oxford._"

Julia was naturally startled at first, and her eye roved almost comically
to and fro the letter and its Destination, seated calm and unconscious of
woman's beneficent wiles. But her heart soon divined the mystery: it was
to reach him the first thing in the morning, and spare him the pain of
writing the news to them; and, doubtless, so worded as not to leave him a
day in doubt of their forgiveness and sympathy.

Julia took the missive unobserved by the Destination, and glided out of
the room to get it quietly posted.

The servant-girl was waiting on the second-floor lodgers, and told her
so, with a significant addition, viz., that the post was in this street,
and only a few doors off. Julia was a little surprised at her coolness,
but took the hint with perfect good temper, and just put on her shawl and