She had hardly begun another when the postman came.

"Oh, Mary," she said, "do make him wait.

If he'll wait a quarter of an hour I'll give him a shilling." "There's no need of that, ma'am.

Let him have a glass of beer." "Very well, Mary; but don't give him too much, for fear he should drop the letters about.

I'll be ready in ten minutes." And in five minutes she had scrawled a very different sort of letter.