At length he wrote a letter to Emily Howes at South Middleboro.

In it he expressed his fear that Mrs.Barnes, although in all other respects perfect, was a too generous "provider" to be a success as a boarding-house keeper in East Wellmouth.
She'll have boarders enough, you needn't worry about that, [he wrote] but she'll lose money on every one.

I've tried to hint, but she don't take the hint, and it ain't any of my affair, rightly speaking, so I can't speak out plain.

Can't you write her a sort of warning afore it's too late?
Or better still, can't you come down here and talk to her?
I wish you would.

Excuse my nosing in and writing you this way, please.
I'm doing it just because I want to see her win out in the race, that's all.