in her brother's handwriting, the other in Frederic's.

Rosa interfered to prevent the breaking of the seals.

"I am going to leave you to the undisturbed enjoyment of your
feast," she said, in her most winsome manner. "But--won't it taste
the sweeter if your antepast is the delight of forgiveness? Say you
are not angry with me--mia cara!"

"You are a ridiculous child!" Mabel bent to kiss the pleading lips,
then the great, melting eyes. "Who could be out of temper with you
for half a minute at a time? You did try my patience with your
nonsense, but since it WAS nonsense, I have forgotten it all, and
love you none the less for your prankish humor--you gypsy!"

"She calls my prophecies humbug--turns a deaf ear to my warnings!"
cried the incorrigible rattle, clasping her hands above her head and
rolling her eyes tragically. "I have a lively appreciation, at this
instant, of Cassandra's agonies when Troilus named her 'our mad
sister!'--

'Woe! woe! woe!
Let us pay betimes
A moiety of that mass of moans to come!'"

Laughing anew at her frantic rush from the chamber, Mabel sat down
in the broad window-seat to read her love-letter.

Frederic was too manly in feeling and habit of speech to deal in
florid rhapsodies, but each line had its message from his heart to