Alfred took him into his study, and there the whole affair was explained.
Mr. Temple had brought with him the specimen of the forgery to show to
Alfred, and, upon comparing it with the handwriting on the cover of the
letter on which the caricature was drawn, the similarity appeared to
be strikingly exact. The cover, which had been stolen, as Lady Frances
Arlington said, from Lady Trant's _reticule_, was directed to Captain
Nuttall. He was one of the persons to whom forged letters had been written,
as appeared by the list which Lord Oldborough had left with Mr. Temple.
The secretary was almost certain that his lordship had never written with
his own hand to any Captain Nuttall; but this he could ask the moment he
should see Lord Oldborough again. It seemed as if this paper had never been
actually used as the cover of a letter, for it had no post-mark, seal, or
wafer. Upon farther inspection, it was perceived that a _t_ had been left
out in the name of _Nuttall_; and it appeared probable that the cover had
been thrown aside, and a new one written, in consequence of this omission.
But Alfred did not think it possible that Lady Trant could be the forger
of these letters, because he had seen some of her ladyship's notes of
invitation to Caroline, and they were written in a wretched cramped hand.

"But that cramped hand might be feigned to conceal the powers of
penmanship," said Mr. Temple.

"Well! granting her ladyship's talents were equal to the mere execution,"
Alfred persisted in thinking she had not abilities sufficient to invent or
combine all the parts of such a scheme. "She might be an accomplice, but
she must have had a principal--and who could that principal be?"

The same suspicion, the same person, came at the same moment into the heads
of both gentlemen, as they sat looking at each other.