Athlyne read the letter eagerly; but when he had finished he dropped it impatiently. There was not a thing in it that he wanted to know—not once the name he wanted to see. He sat for a while thinking; then he took it up again saying to himself:
"She's no fool; it must have taken her some pains to say so little." As he read it the second time, more carefully this time and not merely looking for what he wished to find, the letter told its own story, and in its own way. Then he smiled heartily as he sat thinking it over and commenting to himself:
"Not a word about her; not even her name! And yet she must know that it would be of some interest to me to hear of her. I wonder if it would do to run over to Ischia. There seems to be a party of them …" He read over the letter again with a puzzled look, which all at once changed to a smile "Good old Judy! So that's it is it! That's not the first letter Miss Judy has written with a double meaning in it. She hasn't those fine eyes and that quick wit for nothing. Why it's as clever and as secret as that sent to Basing at Pretoria." For a good while he pondered over it, making notes on the back of the envelope. Then he read these over:
"We are at Ischia.
"I am writing because I promised.
"The habit of personal reticence (that means not saying a thing for yourself) is for both young and old.
"Our voyage was dull, no adventure, no meeting any one like you.
"Mrs. Ogilvie and Judy remain at Ischia some weeks.
"Colonel Ogilvie doesn't like going alone and goes to the Lake County (who is to be with him but Joy?)
"He wants to go motoring (seems more in this—think it over).
The rest of us—(that can only mean Joy) are looking
