Hitherto her correspondence had been uninteresting and almost weak in its nature.

From her mother and sister she had hardly been yet parted; and though she had other friends, she had seldom found herself with very much to tell them by post.

What could she communicate to Mary Eames at Guestwick, which should be in itself exciting as she wrote it?
When she wrote to John Eames, and told "Dear John" that mamma hoped to have the pleasure of seeing him to tea at such an hour, the work of writing was of little moment to her, though the note when written became one of the choicest treasures of him to whom it was addressed.
But now the matter was very different.

When she saw the words "Dearest Adolphus" on the paper before her, she was startled with their significance.

"And four months ago I had never even heard of him," she said to herself, almost with awe.