Then, with a charming smile, he handed it to me to read.

One passage of it, at least, gave me a thrill of pleasure.
"I must regret that an attack of gout, from which malady I am a constant sufferer, forbids absolutely any travelling on my part for some time to come.

But I am happy to say I can send a sufficient substitute, one in whom I have every possible confidence.

He is a young man, full of energy and talent in his own way, and of a very faithful disposition.

He is discreet and silent, and has grown into manhood in my service.