room from my mother's. Of the outer door she has the key; but this we had expected. The ladder will be of silk, and I can secure it without noise.
"I know not how to apologise for the boldness of my request; but I ask of your brother, as a man of honour, not to betray the confidence of this communication, but to aid me in changing my present misery into joy, for the sake of him who is dearer to me than life itself. And that God may bless and reward you, and smile upon the love that is dearer and nearer than love of father, or love of brother, is the sincere prayer of
Such was the letter, but it was not without many interruptions and comments, that Nelly read it to me.
CHAPTER VI.
PLANS AND PREPARATIONS.
Half an hour had passed; we had re-read the letter, and had carefully considered every word of its remarkable disclosures.
"Poor thing!" at length sighed Nelly; "what is to be done?"
"Done!" I cried; "why, what she wants, of course. 'Lives there a man with soul so dead who never to himself has said'—it 's my duty to help a female in distress? What 's to be done! Why, of course, I shall go to meet Captain Alvanley, and shall help them all I can. That is what is to be done, Nelly." I said this with quite a
