Mrs。Bunkercastahastyglancearoundher，andpressedthelettertoherlips。Itwasasuddenconsummationofhervaguest，half—
formedwishes，therealizationofherwildestdreams！Tobetheconfidanteofthegallantbutmelancholyheroinhislonelyexileandpersecutionwastosatisfyalltheunformulatedromanticfanciesofhergirlishreading;tobelater，perhaps，theFloraMacdonaldofamiddle—agedPrinceCharliedidnot，however，evokeanyludicrousassociationsinhermind。Herfemininefancyexaltedtheescapedduelistandallegedassassinintoasocialmartyr。Hisactualsmallpoliticalintriguesandignobleaimsofofficeseemedtoherlittledifferentfromthoseaspirationsofroyaltywhichshehadreadabout——asperhapstheywere。Indeed，itistobefearedthatinfoolishlittleMrs。Bunker，WynyardMarionhadfoundtheoldfeminineadorationofpretensionandprivilegewhicheveryrascalhastakenadvantageofsincetheflood。
Howbeit，thenextmorningaftershehadreturnedandZephashadsailedaway，sheflewaredbandanahandkerchiefonthelittleflagstaffbeforethehouse。Afewhourslater，aboatappearedmysteriouslyfromaroundthePoint。Itsonlyoccupant——acommonsailor——askedhername，andhandedherasealedpackage。Mrs。
Bunker’sinventionhadalreadybeenatwork。ShehadcreatedanauntinMexico，forwhomshehad，withsomeostentation，madesomesmallpurchaseswhileinSanFrancisco。WhenherhusbandspokeofgoingasfarsouthasTodosSantos，shebeggedhimtodelivertheparceltoheraunt’smessenger，andevenaddresseditboldlytoher。InsidetheouterwrappershewroteanotetoMarion，which，withanewandamazingdiffidence，shecomposedandalteredadozentimes，atlastaddressingthefollowinginalarge，school—girlhand：\"Sir，Iobeyyourcommandstothelast。Whateveryouroppressorsorenemiesmaydo，youcanalwaysrelyandtrustuponShewhoindeepestsympathysignsherselfever，MollieRosalieMacEwan。\"Thesubstitutionofhermaidennameinfullseemedinhersimplicitytobeadelicateexclusionofherhusbandfromtheaffair，andacertaindisguiseofherselftoalieneyes。Thesuperscription，\"ToMrs。MarionMacEwanfromMollieBunker，tobecalledforbyhandatTodosSantos，\"alsostruckherasamarvelofingenuity。ThepackagewassafelyandpunctuallydeliveredbyZephas，whobroughtbackasmallpacketdirectedtoher，whichonprivateexaminationprovedtocontainaletteraddressedto\"J。E。
Kirby，tobecalledfor，\"withthehurriedline：\"Athousandthanks，W。M。\"Mrs。Bunkerdrewalong，quickbreath。Hemighthavewrittenmore;hemighthave——butthewishremainedstillunformulated。Thenextdaysheranupasignal;thesameboatandsolitaryrowerappearedaroundthePoint，andtookthepackage。A