CHAPTERXLIII。
ATLAST！
MYletterfromMr。Playmore，inclosingtheagent’sextraordinarytelegram，wasnotinspiredbythesanguineviewofourprospectswhichhehadexpressedtomewhenwemetatBenjamin’shouse。
"Ifthetelegrammeananything，"hewrote，"itmeansthatthefragmentsofthetornletterhavebeencastintothehousemaid’sbucket（alongwiththedust，theashes，andtherestofthelitterintheroom），andhavebeenemptiedonthedust—heapatGleninch。Sincethiswasdone，theaccumulatedrefusecollectedfromtheperiodicalcleansingsofthehouse，duringatermofnearlythreeyears——including，ofcourse，theashesfromthefireskeptburning，forthegreaterpartoftheyear，inthelibraryandthepicture—gallery——havebeenpouredupontheheap，andhaveburiedthepreciousmorselsofpaperdeeperanddeeper，daybyday。Evenifwehaveafairchanceoffindingthesefragments，whathopecanwefeel，atthisdistanceoftime，ofrecoveringthemwiththewritinginastateofpreservation？I
shallbegladtohear，byreturnofpostifpossible，howthematterstrikesyou。IfyoucouldmakeitconvenienttoconsultwithmepersonallyinEdinburgh，weshouldsavetime，whentimemaybeofseriousimportancetous。WhileyouareatDoctorStarkweather’syouarewithineasyreachofthisplace。Pleasethinkofit。"
Ithoughtofitseriouslyenough。TheforemostquestionwhichI
hadtoconsiderwasthequestionofmyhusband。
ThedepartureofthemotherandsonfromSpainhadbeensolongdelayed，bythesurgeon’sorders，thatthetravelershadonlyadvancedontheirhomewardjourneyasfarasBordeaux，whenIhadlastheardfromMrs。Macallanthreeorfourdayssince。AllowingforanintervalofreposeatBordeaux，andfortheslowrateatwhichtheywouldbecompelledtomoveafterward，ImightstillexpectthemtoarriveinEnglandsometimebeforealetterfromtheagentinAmericacouldreachMr。Playmore。How，inthispositionofaffairs，IcouldcontrivetojointhelawyerinEdinburgh，aftermeetingmyhusbandinLondon，itwasnoteasytosee。Thewiseandtherightway，asIthought，wastotellMr。
PlaymorefranklythatIwasnotmistressofmyOwnmovements，andthathehadbetteraddresshisnextlettertomeatBenjamin’shouse。
Writingtomylegaladviserinthissense，Ihadawordofmyowntoaddonthesubjectofthetornletter。
Inthelastyearsofmyfather’slifeIhadtraveledwithhiminItaly，andIhadseenintheMuseumatNaplesthewonderfulrelicsofabygonetimediscoveredamongtheruinsofPompeii。BywayofencouragingMr。Playmore，Inowremindedhimthattheeruptionwhichhadoverwhelmedthetownhadpreserved，formorethansixteenhundredyears，suchperishablethingsasthestrawinwhichpotteryhadbeenpacked；thepaintingsonhousewalls；
thedresseswornbytheinhabitants；and（mostnoticeableofall，inourcase）apieceofancientpaper，stillattachedtothevolcanicasheswhichhadfallenoverit。Ifthesediscoverieshadbeenmadeafteralapseofsixteencenturies，underalayerofdustandashesonalargescale，surelywemighthopetomeetwithsimilarcasesofpreservation，afteralapseofthreeorfouryearsonly，underalayerofdustandashesonasmallscale。Takingforgranted（whatwasperhapsdoubtfulenough）thatthefragmentsofthelettercouldberecovered，myownconvictionwasthatthewritingonthem，thoughitmightbefaded，wouldcertainlystillbelegible。TheveryaccumulationswhichMr。
Playmoredeploredwouldbethemeansofpreservingthemfromtherainandthedamp。WiththesemodesthintsIclosedmyletter；
andthusforonce，thankstomyContinentalexperience，Iwasabletoinstructmylawyer！
Anotherdaypassed；andIheardnothingofthetravelers。
Ibegantofeelanxious。Imademypreparationsformyjourneysouthwardovernight；andIresolvedtostartforLondonthenextday——unlessIheardofsomechangeinMrs。Macallan’stravelingarrangementsintheinterval。
Thepostofthenextmorningdecidedmycourseofaction。Itbroughtmealetterfrommymother—in—law，whichaddedonemoretothememorabledatesinmydomesticcalendar。
EustaceandhismotherhadadvancedasfarasParisontheirhomewardjourney，whenacrueldisasterhadbefallenthem。Thefatiguesoftraveling，andtheexcitementofhisanticipatedmeetingwithme，hadprovedtogethertobetoomuchformyhusband。HehadheldoutasfarasPariswiththegreatestdifficulty；andhewasnowconfinedtohisbedagain，struckdownbyarelapse。Thedoctors，thistime，hadnofearforhislife，providedthathispatiencewouldsupporthimthroughalengthenedperiodofthemostabsoluterepose。
"Itnowrestswithyou，Valeria，"Mrs。Macallanwrote，"tofortifyandcomfortEustaceunderthisnewcalamity。DonotsupposethathehaseverblamedorthoughtofblamingyouforleavinghimwithmeinSpain，assoonashewasdeclaredtobeoutofdanger。’Itwas_I_wholeft_her，_’hesaidtome，whenwefirsttalkedaboutit；’anditismywife’srighttoexpectthatIshouldgobacktoher。’Thosewerehiswords，mydear；andhehasdoneallhecantoabidebythem。Helplessinhisbed，henowasksyoutotakethewillforthedeed，andtojoinhiminParis。IthinkIknowyouwellenough，mychild，tobesurethatyouwilldothis；andIneedonlyaddonewordofcaution，beforeIclosemyletter。Avoidallreference，notonlytotheTrial（youwilldothatofyourownaccord），buteventoourhouseatGleninch。Youwillunderstandhowhefeels，inhispresentstateofnervousdepression，whenItellyouthatIshouldneverhaveventuredonaskingyoutojoinhimhere，ifyourletterhadnotinformedmethatyourvisitstoDexterwereatanend。Wouldyoubelieveit？——hishorrorofanythingwhichrecallsourpasttroublesisstillsovividthathehasactuallyaskedmetogivemyconsenttosellingGleninch！"
SoEustace’smotherwroteofhim。Butshehadnottrustedentirelytoherownpowersofpersuasion。Aslipofpaperwasinclosedinherletter，containingthesetwolines，tracedinpencil——oh，sofeeblyandsowearily！——bymypoordarlinghimself：
"Iamtooweaktotravelanyfurther，Valeria。Willyoucometomeandforgiveme？"Afewpencil—marksfollowed；buttheywereillegible。Thewritingofthosetwoshortsentenceshadexhaustedhim。
Itisnotsayingmuchformyself，Iknow——but，havingconfesseditwhenIwaswrong，letme，atleast，recorditwhenIdidwhatwasright——Idecidedinstantlyongivingupallfurtherconnectionwiththerecoveryofthetornletter。IfEustaceaskedmethequestion，Iwasresolvedtobeabletoanswertruly："I
havemadethesacrificethatassuresyourtranquillity。Whenresignationwashardest，Ihavehumbledmyobstinatespirit，andIhavegivenwayformyhusband’ssake。"
TherewashalfanhourtosparebeforeIleftthevicaragefortherailwaystation。InthatintervalIwroteagaintoMr。
Playmore，tellinghimplainlywhatmypositionwas，andwithdrawing，atonceandforever，fromallshareininvestigatingthemysterywhichlayhiddenunderthedust—heapatGleninch。
CHAPTERXLIV。
OURNEWHONEYMOON。
ItisnottobedisguisedordeniedthatmyspiritsweredepressedonmyjourneytoLondon。
Toresigntheonecherishedpurposeofmylife，whenIhadsufferedsomuchinpursuingit，andwhenIhad（toallappearance）sonearlyreachedtherealizationofmyhopes，wasputtingtoahardtrialawoman’sfortitudeandawoman’ssenseofduty。Still，eveniftheopportunityhadbeenofferedtome，I
wouldnothaverecalledmylettertoMr。Playmore。"Itisdone，andwelldone，"Isaidtomyself；"andIhaveonlytowaitadaytobereconciledtoit——whenIgivemyhusbandmyfirstkiss。"
IhadplannedandhopedtoreachLondonintimetostartforParisbythenight—mail。ButthetrainwastwicedelayedonthelongjourneyfromtheNorth；andtherewasnohelpforitbuttosleepatBenjamin’svilla，andtodefermydepartureuntilthemorning。
Itwas，ofcourse，impossibleformetowarnmyoldfriendofthechangeinmyplans。Myarrivaltookhimbysurprise。Ifoundhimaloneinhislibrary，withawonderfulilluminationoflampsandcandles，absorbedoversomemorselsoftornpaperscatteredonthetablebeforehim。
"Whatintheworldareyouabout？"Iasked。
Benjaminblushed——Iwasgoingtosay，likeayounggirl；butyounggirlshavegivenupblushingintheselatterdaysoftheagewelivein。
"Oh，nothing，nothing！"hesaid，confusedly。"Don’tnoticeit。"
Hestretchedouthishandtobrushthemorselsofpaperoffthetable。Thosemorselsraisedasuddensuspicioninmymind。I
stoppedhim。
"YouhaveheardfromMr。Playmore！"Isaid。"Tellmethetruth，Benjamin。Yesorno？"
Benjaminblushedashadedeeper，andanswered，"Yes。"
"Whereistheletter？"
"Imustn’tshowittoyou，Valeria。"
This（needIsayit？）mademedeterminedtoseetheletter。MybestwayofpersuadingBenjamintoshowittomewastotellhimofthesacrificethatIhadmadetomyhusband’swishes。"Ihavenofurthervoiceinthematter，"Iadded，whenIhaddone。"ItnowrestsentirelywithMr。Playmoretogoonortogiveup；andthisismylastopportunityofdiscoveringwhathereallythinksaboutit。Don’tIdeservesomelittleindulgence？HaveInoclaimtolookattheletter？"
Benjaminwastoomuchsurprised，andtoomuchpleasedwithme，whenheheardwhathadhappened，tobeabletoresistmyentreaties。Hegavemetheletter。
Mr。PlaymorewrotetoappealconfidentiallytoBenjaminasacommercialman。Inthelongcourseofhisoccupationinbusiness，itwasjustpossiblethathemighthaveheardofcasesinwhichdocumentshavebeenputtogetheragainafterhavingbeentornupbydesignorbyaccident。Evenifhisexperiencefailedinthisparticular，hemightbeabletorefertosomeauthorityinLondonwhowouldbecapableofgivinganopiniononthesubject。Bywayofexplaininghisstrangerequest，Mr。PlaymorerevertedtothenoteswhichBenjaminhadtakenatMiserrimusDexter’shouse，andinformedhimoftheseriousimportanceof"thegibberish"whichhehadreportedunderprotest。Theletterclosedbyrecommendingthatanycorrespondencewhichensuedshouldbekeptasecretfromme——onthegroundthatitmightexcitefalsehopesinmymindifIwereinformedofit。
Inowunderstoodthetonewhichmyworthyadviserhadadoptedinwritingtome。Hisinterestintherecoveryoftheletterwasevidentlysooverpoweringthatcommonprudencecompelledhimtoconcealitfromme，incaseofultimatefailure。ThisdidnotlookasifMr。Playmorewaslikelytogiveuptheinvestigationonmywithdrawalfromit。IglancedagainatthefragmentsofpaperonBenjamin’stable，withaninterestinthemwhichIhadnotfeltyet。
"HasanythingbeenfoundatGleninch？"Iasked。
"No，"saidBenjamin。"Ihaveonlybeentryingexperimentswithaletterofmyown，beforeIwrotetoMr。Playmore。"
"Oh，youhavetornuptheletteryourself，then？"
"Yes。And，tomakeitallthemoredifficulttoputthemtogetheragain，Ishookupthepiecesinabasket。It’sachildishthingtodo，mydear，atmyage——"
Hestopped，lookingverymuchashamedofhimself。
"Well，"Iwenton；"andhaveyousucceededinputtingyourlettertogetheragain？"
"It’snotveryeasy，Valeria。ButIhavemadeabeginning。It’sthesameprincipleastheprincipleinthe’Puzzles’whichweusedtoputtogetherwhenIwasaboy。Onlygetonecentralbitofitright，andtherestofthePuzzlefallsintoitsplaceinalongerorashortertime。Pleasedon’ttellanybody，mydear。
PeoplemightsayIwasinmydotage。Tothinkofthatgibberishinmynote—bookhavingameaninginit，afterall！IonlygotMr。
Playmore’sletterthismorning；and——Iamreallyalmostashamedtomentionit——Ihavebeentryingexperimentsontornletters，offandon，eversince。Youwon’ttelluponme，willyou？"
Iansweredthedearoldmanbyaheartyembrace。Nowthathehadlosthissteadymoralbalance，andhadcaughttheinfectionofmyenthusiasm，Ilovedhimbetterthanever。
ButIwasnotquitehappy，thoughItriedtoappearso。StruggleagainstitasImight，IfeltalittlemortifiedwhenI
rememberedthatIhadresignedallfurtherconnectionwiththesearchfortheletteratsuchatimeasthis。MyonecomfortwastothinkofEustace。Myoneencouragementwastokeepmymindfixedasconstantlyaspossibleonthebrightchangeforthebetterthatnowappearedinthedomesticprospect。Here，atleast，therewasnodisastertofear；hereIcouldhonestlyfeelthatIhadtriumphed。Myhusbandhadcomebacktomeofhisownfreewill；hehadnotgivenway，underthehardweightofevidence——hehadyieldedtothenoblerinfluencesofhisgratitudeandhislove。AndIhadtakenhimtomyheartagain——notbecauseIhadmadediscoverieswhichlefthimnootheralternativethantolivewithme，butbecauseIbelievedinthebettermindthathadcometohim，andlovedandtrustedhimwithoutreserve。Wasitnotworthsomesacrificetohavearrivedatthisresult！True——mosttrue！AndyetIwasalittleoutofspirits。Ah，well！well！theremedywaswithinaday’sjourney。
ThesoonerIwaswithEustacethebetter。
EarlythenextmorningIleftLondonforParisbythetidal—train。BenjaminaccompaniedmetotheTerminus。
"IshallwritetoEdinburghbyto—day’spost，"hesaid，intheintervalbeforethetrainmovedoutofthestation。"IthinkI
canfindthemanMr。Playmorewantstohelphim，ifhedecidestogoon。Haveyouanymessagetosend，Valeria？"
"No。Ihavedonewithit，Benjamin；Ihavenothingmoretosay。"
"ShallIwriteandtellyouhowitends，ifMr。PlaymoredoesreallytrytheexperimentatGleninch？"
Ianswered，asIfelt，alittlebitterly。
"Yes，"Isaid"Writeandtellmeiftheexperimentfail。"
Myoldfriendsmiled。HeknewmebetterthanIknewmyself。
"Allright！"hesaid，resignedly。"Ihavegottheaddressofyourbanker’scorrespondentinParis。Youwillhavetogothereformoney，mydear；andyou_may_findaletterwaitingforyouintheofficewhenyouleastexpectit。Letmehearhowyourhusbandgoeson。Good—by——andGodblessyou！"
ThateveningIwasrestoredtoEustace。
Hewastooweak，poorfellow，eventoraisehisheadfromthepillow。Ikneltdownatthebedsideandkissedhim。Hislanguid，wearyeyeskindledwithanewlifeasmylipstouchedhis。"I
musttrytolivenow，"hewhispered，"foryoursake。"
Mymother—in—lawhaddelicatelyleftustogether。WhenhesaidthosewordsthetemptationtotellhimofthenewhopethathadcometobrightenourliveswasmorethanIcouldresist。
"Youmusttrytolivenow，Eustace，"Isaid，"forsomeoneelsebesidesme。"
Hiseyeslookedwonderinglyintomine。
"Doyoumeanmymother？"heasked。
Ilaidmyheadonhisbosom，andwhisperedback——"Imeanyourchild。"
IhadallmyrewardforallthatIhadgivenup。IforgotMr。
Playmore；IforgotGleninch。Ournewhoneymoondates，inmyremembrance，fromthatday。
Thequiettimepassed，intheby—streetinwhichwelived。TheouterstirandtumultofParisianliferanitsdailycoursearoundus，unnoticedandunheard。Steadily，thoughslowly，Eustacegainedstrength。Thedoctors，withawordortwoofcaution，lefthimalmostentirelytome。"Youarehisphysician，"
theysaid；"thehappieryoumakehim，thesoonerhewillrecover。"Thequiet，monotonousroundofmynewlifewasfarfromwearyingme。I，too，wantedrepose——Ihadnointerests，nopleasures，outofmyhusband’sroom。
Once，andonceonly，theplacidsurfaceofourliveswasjustgentlyruffledbyanallusiontothepast。SomethingthatI
accidentallysaidremindedEustaceofourlastinterviewatMajorFitz—David’shouse。Hereferred，verydelicately，towhatIhadthensaidoftheVerdictpronouncedonhimattheTrial；andheleftmetoinferthatawordfrommylips，confirmingwhathismotherhadalreadytoldhim，wouldquiethismindatonceandforever。
Myanswerinvolvednoembarrassmentsordifficulties；IcouldanddidhonestlytellhimthatIhadmadehiswishesmylaw。Butitwashardlyinwomanhood，Iamafraid，tobesatisfiedwithmerelyreplying，andtoleaveitthere。IthoughtitduetomethatEustacetooshouldconcedesomething，inthewayofanassurancewhichmightquiet_my_mind。Asusualwithme，thewordsfollowedtheimpulsetospeakthem。"Eustace，"Iasked，"areyouquitecuredofthosecrueldoubtswhichoncemadeyouleaveme？"
Hisanswer（asheafterwardsaid）mademeblushwithpleasure。
"Ah，Valeria，IshouldneverhavegoneawayifIhadknownyouthenaswellasIknowyounow！"
Sothelastshadowsofdistrustmeltedawayoutofourlives。
TheveryremembranceoftheturmoilandthetroubleofmypastdaysinLondonseemednowtofadefrommymemory。Wewereloversagain；wewereabsorbedagainineachother；wecouldalmostfancythatourmarriagedatedbackoncemoretoadayortwosince。Butonelastvictoryovermyselfwaswantingtomakemyhappinesscomplete。Istillfeltsecretlongings，inthosedangerousmomentswhenIwasleftbymyself，toknowwhetherthesearchforthetornletterhadorhadnottakenplace。Whatwaywardcreaturesweare！Witheverythingthatawomancouldwanttomakeherhappy，IwasreadytoputthathappinessinperilratherthanremainignorantofwhatwasgoingonatGleninch！I
actuallyhailedthedaywhenmyemptypursegavemeanexcuseforgoingtomybanker’scorrespondentonbusiness，andsoreceivinganyletterswaitingformewhichmightbeplacedinmyhands。
IappliedformymoneywithoutknowingwhatIwasabout；
wonderingallthetimewhetherBenjaminhadwrittentomeornot。
Myeyeswanderedoverthedesksandtablesintheoffice，lookingforlettersfurtively。Nothingofthesortwasvisible。Butamanappearedfromaninneroffice：anuglyman，whowasyetbeautifultomyeyes，forthissufficientreason——hehadaletterinhishand，andhesaid，"Isthisforyou，ma’am？"
AglanceattheaddressshowedmeBenjamin’shandwriting。
Hadtheytriedtheexperimentofrecoveringtheletter？andhadtheyfailed？
Somebodyputmymoneyinmybag，andpolitelyledmeouttothelittlehiredcarriagewhichwaswaitingformeatthedoor。I
remembernothingdistinctlyuntilIopenedtheletteronmywayhome。Thefirstwordstoldmethatthedust—heaphadbeenexamined，andthatthefragmentsofthetornletterhadbeenfound。
CHAPTERXLV。
THEDUST—HEAPDISTURBED。
Myheadturnedgiddy。Iwasobligedtowaitandletmyoverpoweringagitationsubside，beforeIcouldreadanymore。
Lookingattheletteragain，afteraninterval，myeyesfellaccidentallyonasentenceneartheend，whichsurprisedandstartledme。
Istoppedthedriverofthecarriage，attheentrancetothestreetinwhichourlodgingsweresituated，andtoldhimtotakemetothebeautifulparkofParis——thefamousBoisdeBoulogne。
Myobjectwastogaintimeenough，inthisway，toreadthelettercarefullythroughbymyself，andtoascertainwhetherI
oughtoroughtnottokeepthereceiptofitasecretbeforeI
confrontedmyhusbandandhismotherathome。
Thisprecautiontaken，IreadthenarrativewhichmygoodBenjaminhadsowiselyandsothoughtfullywrittenforme。
Treatingthevariousincidentsmethodically，hebeganwiththeReportwhichhadarrived，induecourseofmail，fromouragentinAmerica。
Ourmanhadsuccessfullytracedthelodgekeeper’sdaughterandherhusbandtoasmalltowninoneoftheWesternStates。Mr。
Playmore’sletterofintroductionatoncesecuredhimacordialreceptionfromthemarriedpair，andapatienthearingwhenhestatedtheobjectofhisvoyageacrosstheAtlantic。
Hisfirstquestionsledtonoveryencouragingresults。Thewomanwasconfusedandsurprised，andwasapparentlyquiteunabletoexerthermemorytoanyusefulpurpose。Fortunately，herhusbandprovedtobeaveryintelligentman。Hetooktheagentprivatelyaside，andsaidtohim，"Iunderstandmywife，andyoudon’t。
Tellmeexactlywhatitisyouwanttoknow，andleaveittometodiscoverhowmuchsheremembersandhowmuchsheforgets。"
Thissensiblesuggestionwasreadilyaccepted。Theagentwaitedforeventsadayandanight。
Earlythenextmorningthehusbandsaidtohim，"Talktomywifenow，andyou’llfindshehassomethingtotellyou。Onlymindthis。Don’tlaughatherwhenshespeaksoftrifles。Sheishalfashamedtospeakoftrifles，eventome。Thinksmenareabovesuchmatters，youknow。Listenquietly，andlethertalk——andyouwillgetatitallinthatway。"
Theagentfollowedhisinstructions，and"gotatit"asfollows：
Thewomanremembered，perfectlywell，beingsenttocleanthebedroomsandputthemtidy，afterthegentlefolkshadallleftGleninch。Hermotherhadabadhipatthetime，andcouldnotgowithherandhelpher。Shedidnotmuchfancybeingaloneinthegreathouse，afterwhathadhappenedinit。Onherwaytoherworkshepassedtwoofthecottagers’childrenintheneighborhoodatplayinthepark。Mr。Macallanwasalwayskindtohispoortenants，andneverobjectedtotheyoungonesroundabouthavingarunonthegrass。Thetwochildrenidlyfollowedhertothehouse。Shetooktheminside，alongwithher——notlikingtheplace，asalreadymentioned，andfeelingthattheywouldbecompanyinthesolitaryrooms。
ShebeganherworkintheGuests’Corridor——leavingtheroomintheothercorridor，inwhichthedeathhadhappened，tothelast。
Therewasverylittletodointhetwofirstrooms。Therewasnotlitterenough，whenshehadsweptthefloorsandcleanedthegrates，toevenhalffillthehousemaid’sbucketwhichshecarriedwithher。Thechildrenfollowedherabout；and，allthingsconsidered，were"verygoodcompany"inthelonelyplace。
Thethirdroom（thatistosay，thebedchamberwhichhadbeenoccupiedbyMiserrimusDexterwasinamuchworsestatethantheothertwo，andwantedagreatdealoftidying。Shedidnotmuchnoticethechildrenhere，beingoccupiedwithherwork。Thelitterwassweptupfromthecarpet，andthecindersandashesweretakenoutofthegrate，andthewholeofitwasinthebucket，whenherattentionwasrecalledtothechildrenbyhearingoneofthemcry。
Shelookedabouttheroomwithoutatfirstdiscoveringthem。
Afreshoutburstofcryingledherintherightdirection，andshowedherthechildrenunderatableinacorneroftheroom。
Theyoungestofthetwohadgotintoawaste—paperbasket。Theeldesthadfoundanoldbottleofgum，withabrushfixedinthecork，andwasgravelypaintingthefaceofthesmallerchildwithwhatlittleremainedofthecontentsofthebottle。Somenaturalstruggles，onthepartofthelittlecreature，hadendedintheoverthrowofthebasket，andtheusualoutburstofcryinghadfollowedasamatterofcourse。
Inthisstateofthingstheremedywassoonapplied。Thewomantookthebottleawayfromtheeldestchild，andgaveita"boxontheear。"Theyoungeroneshesetonitslegsagain，andsheputthetwo"inthecorner"tokeepthemquiet。Thisdone，shesweptupsuchfragmentsofthetornpaperinthebasketashadfallenonthefloor；threwthembackagainintothebasket，alongwiththegum—bottle；fetchedthebucket，andemptiedthebasketintoit；andthenproceededtothefourthandlastroominthecorridor，whereshefinishedherworkforthatday。
Leavingthehouse，withthechildrenafterher，shetookthefilledbuckettothedust—heap，andemptieditinahollowplaceamongtherubbish，abouthalf—wayupthemound。Thenshetookthechildrenhome；andtherewasanendofitfortheday。
Suchwastheresultoftheappealmadetothewoman’smemoryofdomesticeventsatGleninch。
TheconclusionatwhichMr。Playmorearrived，fromthefactssubmittedtohim，wasthatthechanceswerenowdecidedlyinfavoroftherecoveryoftheletter。Thrownin，nearlymidwaybetweenthecontentsofthehousemaid’sbucket，thetornmorselswouldbeprotectedaboveaswellasbelow，whentheywereemptiedonthedust—heap。
Succeedingweeksandmonthswouldaddtothatprotection，byaddingtotheaccumulatedrefuse。Intheneglectedconditionofthegrounds，thedust—heaphadnotbeendisturbedinsearchofmanure。Thereithadstood，untouched，fromthetimewhenthefamilyleftGleninchtothepresentday。Andthere，hiddendeepsomewhereinthemound，thefragmentsofthelettermustbe。
Suchwerethelawyer’sconclusions。HehadwrittenimmediatelytocommunicatethemtoBenjamin。And，thereupon，whathadBenjamindone？
Afterhavingtriedhispowersofreconstructiononhisowncorrespondence，theprospectofexperimentingonthemysteriousletteritselfhadprovedtobeatemptationtoopowerfulfortheoldmantoresist。"Ialmostfancy，mydear，thisbusinessofyourshasbewitchedme，"hewrote。"YouseeIhavethemisfortunetobeanidleman。Ihavetimetospareandmoneytospare。AndtheendofitisthatIamhereatGleninch，engagedonmyownsoleresponsibility（withgoodMr。Playmore’spermission）insearchingthedust—heap！"
Benjamin’sdescriptionofhisfirstviewofthefieldofactionatGleninchfollowedthesecharacteristiclinesofapology。
Ipassedoverthedescriptionwithoutceremony。Myremembranceofthescenewastoovividtorequireanypromptingofthatsort。I
sawagain，inthedimeveninglight，theunsightlymoundwhichhadsostrangelyattractedmyattentionatGleninch。IheardagainthewordsinwhichMr。Playmorehadexplainedtomethecustomofthedust—heapinScotchcountry—houses。WhathadBenjaminandMr。Playmoredone？WhathadBenjaminandMr。