With eager, trembling fingers he broke the seal and
ran his eyes hungrily over the contents. It had
been his habit to turn to the bottom of the last page
before he read the preceding ones, so that he might
see the signature and note the final words of affection
or friendship, such as "Ever your friend,"
or "Affectionately yours," or simply "Your friend,"
written above Jane's name. These were to him
the thermometric readings of the warmth of her
heart.

Half way down the first page--before he had time
to turn the leaf--he caught his breath in an effort
to smother a sudden outburst of joy. Then with a
supreme effort he regained his self-control and read
the letter to the end. (He rarely mentioned Jane's
name to his mother, and he did not want his delight
over the contents of the letter to be made the basis
of comment.)

Mrs. Cavendish's outburst over the contents of her
own envelope broke the silence and relieved his
tension.

"Oh, how fortunate!" she exclaimed. "Listen,
John; now I really have good news for you. You
remember I told you that I met old Dr. Pencoyd the
last time I was in Philadelphia, and had a long
talk with him. I told him how you were buried here
and how hard you worked and how anxious I was