Lady Janet had risen softly from her chair and had passed behind him with the purpose of reading the consul's letter for herself over her nephew's shoulder.

Julian detected the action just in time to frustrate Lady Janet's intention by placing his hand over the last two lines of the letter.
"What do you do that for ?" inquired his aunt, sharply.
"You are welcome, Lady Janet, to read the close of the letter for yourself," Julian replied.

"But before you do so I am anxious to prepare you for a very great surprise.

Compose yourself and let me read on slowly, with your eye on me, until I uncover the last two words which close my friend's letter." He read the end of the letter, as he had proposed, in these terms: "'I looked the woman straight in the face, and I said to her, "You have denied that the name marked on the clothes which you wore when you came here was your name.

If you are not Mercy Merrick, who are you ?" She answered, instantly, "My name is ------"'" Julian removed his hand from the page.