committee is to be put off till next session. They mean to have Lord
Bowles home from Canada, and they think that Bowles would like to
be here in the winter. Sir Marmaduke will be summoned for February
next, and will of course stretch his stay over the hot months. All
this will, on the whole, be for the best. Lady Rowley could hardly
have packed up her things and come away at a day's notice, whatever
your father might have done. I'll call tomorrow at luncheon time.

Yours always,

F. O.'

There was nothing objectionable in this letter excepting always
the 'Dear Emily' nothing which it was not imperative on Colonel
Osborne to communicate to the person to whom it was addressed.
Trevelyan must now go upstairs and tell the contents of the letter
to his wife. But he felt that he had created for himself a terrible
trouble. He must tell his wife what was in the letter, but the very
telling of it would be a renewing of the soreness of his wound.
And then what was to be done in reference to the threatened visit
for the Sunday morning? Trevelyan knew very well that were his wife
denied at that hour, Colonel Osborne would understand the whole
matter. He had doubtless in his anger intended that Colonel Osborne
should understand the whole matter; but he was calmer now than he
had been then, and almost wished that the command given by him had
not been so definite and imperious. He remained with his arm on the
mantel-piece, thinking of it, for some ten minutes, and then went
up into the drawing-room. 'Emily,' he said, walking up to the table
at which she was sitting, 'you had better read that letter.'