of money put by, and working on a salary it would be long before he
could save enough to leave Peg sufficient to carry her on for a
while if "anything happened." There was always that "if anything
happened!" running in his mind.

One day the chance of solving the whole difficulty of Peg's future
was placed in his hands. But the means were so distasteful to him
that he hesitated about even telling her.

He came in unexpectedly in the early afternoon of that day and found
a letter waiting for him with an English postmark. Peg had eyed it
curiously off and on for hours. She had turned it over and over in
her fingers and looked at the curious, angular writing, and felt a
little cold shiver run up and down her as she found herself
wondering who could be writing to her father from England.

When O'Connell walked in and picked the letter up she watched him
excitedly. She felt, for some strange reason, that they were going
to reach a crisis in their lives when the seal was broken and the
contents disclosed. Superstition was strong--in Peg, and all that
day she had been nervous without reason, and excited without cause.

O'Connell read the letter through twice--slowly the first time,
quickly the second. A look of bewilderment came across his face as
he sat down and stared at the letter in his hand.

"Who is it from, at all?" asked Peg very quietly, though she was
trembling all through her body.

Her father said nothing.