father returned from his work, the whole circle felt that their old
family mirth was for the present necessarily laid aside.

On the morning of the third day, about noon, Madame Heine returned
home from the market with Isa, and as they reached the landing,
Agnes met them with a packet. "Fritz brought it from the bank,"
said Agnes. Now Fritz was the boy who ran messages and swept out
the office, and Madame Heine put out her hand for the parcel,
thinking, not unnaturally, that it was for her. But Agnes would not
give it to her mother, "It is for you, Isa," she said. Then Isa,
looking at the address, recognised the handwriting of her uncle.
"Mamma," she said, "I will come to you directly;" and then she
passed quickly away into her own room.

The parcel was soon opened, and contained a note from her uncle, and
a stiff, large document, looking as though it had come from the
hands of a lawyer. Isa glanced at the document, and read some few
of the words on the outer fold, but they did not carry home to her
mind any clear perception of their meaning. She was flurried at the
moment, and the words, perhaps, were not very plain. Then she took
up her note, and that was plain enough. It was very short, and ran
as follows:-


"My dear Niece,

You told me on Monday that I was stern, and harsh, and unjust.
Perhaps I was. If so, I hope the enclosed will make amends, and
that you will not think me such an old fool as I think myself.