His angry hand had seized on it with the blank leaf of the
note-paper uppermost.
On that leaf he discovered two little lines of print, presenting, in
the customary form, the address of the house at which the letter had
been written! The writer, in taking the sheet of paper from the case,
must have accidentally turned it wrong side uppermost on the desk, and
had not cared to re-copy the letter, or had not discovered the mistake.
Restored to his best good-humour, Hugh resolved to surprise Mrs.
Vimpany by a visit, on the next day, which would set the theory of
contagion at defiance, and render valuable service to Iris at a crisis
in her life.
Having time before him for reflection, in the course of the evening, he
was at no loss to discover a formidable obstacle in the way of his
design.
Whether he gave his name or concealed his name, when he asked for Mrs.
Vimpany at the house-door, she would in either case refuse to see him.
The one accessible person whom he could consult in this difficulty was
his faithful old servant.
That experienced man--formerly employed, at various times, in the army,
in the police, and in service at a public school--obtained leave to
make some preliminary investigations on the next morning.
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