I knew as well as Jimmy what had happened.

In his pre-_Saturday_ days he had no letter-box, only a slit in the door; and through this we used to denounce him on certain occasions when we called and he would not let us in.

Lately, however, he had fitted up a letter-box himself, which kept together if you opened the door gently, but came clattering to the floor under the weight of heavy letters.

The letter to which it had succumbed this evening was quite a package, and could even have been used as a missile.

Jimmy snatched it up quickly, evidently knowing the contents by their bulk; and I was just saying to myself, "More proofs from the _Saturday_," when the letter burst at the bottom, and in a moment a score of smaller letters were tumbling about my feet.