reflecting for some time, till she seemed to fear that she had
wounded his feelings. She awoke in the night, and thought and
thought on the same thing, till she had worked herself into a
feverish fret about it. When it was morning she looked across at
the tower, and sitting down, impulsively wrote the following note:--


'DEAR MR. ST. CLEEVE,--I cannot allow you to remain under the
impression that I despised your scientific endeavours in speaking as
I did last night. I think you were too sensitive to my remark. But
perhaps you were agitated with the labours of the day, and I fear
that watching so late at night must make you very weary. If I can
help you again, please let me know. I never realized the grandeur
of astronomy till you showed me how to do so. Also let me know
about the new telescope. Come and see me at any time. After your
great kindness in being my messenger I can never do enough for you.
I wish you had a mother or sister, and pity your loneliness! I am
lonely too.--Yours truly,
VIVIETTE
CONSTANTINE.'


She was so anxious that he should get this letter the same day that
she ran across to the column with it during the morning, preferring
to be her own emissary in so curious a case. The door, as she had
expected, was locked; and, slipping the letter under it, she went
home again. During lunch her ardour in the cause of Swithin's hurt
feelings cooled down, till she exclaimed to herself, as she sat at
her lonely table, 'What could have possessed me to write in that
way!'