She pointed to one placed near herself at the table, and seemed about to speak to me again, when the lawyer interfered.
"Let me entreat you," he said, "not to agitate yourself unnecessarily.
I will put this person in possession of the facts, and, if I omit anything, you shall stop me and set me right." My mistress leaned back in her chair and covered her face with her handkerchief.

The lawyer waited a moment, and then addressed himself to me.
"You are already aware," he said, "of the circumstances under which your master left this house, and you also know, I have no doubt, that no direct news of him has reached your mistress up to this time ?" I bowed to him and said I knew of the circumstances so far.
"Do you remember," he went on, "taking a letter to your mistress five days ago ?" "Yes, sir," I replied; "a letter which seemed to distress and alarm her very seriously." "I will read you that letter before we say any more," continued the lawyer.

"I warn you beforehand that it contains a terrible charge against your master, which, however, is not attested by the writer's signature.

I have already told your mistress that she must not attach too much importance to an anonymous letter; and I now tell you the same thing." Saying that, he took up a letter from the table and read it aloud.

I had a copy of it given to me afterward, which I looked at often enough to fix the contents of the letter in my memory.