The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1871-05-09

"By the funds, Sir George. They an
swer to the news as surely as the bell down
stairs answers to the bell-rope. / find them
going up and down as if they were sitting
in the office,' said Parker personifying
the stock exchange for moment.
Have all the letters to the clerks been
examined strictly"
"Yes l read them all myself"
"Find nothing in them?"
"Mighty little. Some are from home
and some from friends but most of them
from sweethearts," said Parker, twisting
his face into grim smile, and funny things
they say in them.
"And the young mems letters. Are they
funny, too" ..
"They are more careful like, as they
know ] anu to see them but Lord save you,
sir they are all stuff not a ha'porth of
harm in them"
"This matter must be seen to-" said
my uncle have had my own misgivings
on the same subject. Bring me all the
letters which come to and are sent by the
clerks for the next week. There is no
reason why you should have all the funny
things to yourself"
So my uncle had the letters for a week,
and found them very much such as Parker
had described them. The suspicious sym
toms increased the stock exchange re-
sponded more sensitively than ever but not
the slightest ground for suspecting any one
transpired My uncle was bewidered, and
Parker was rapidly verging to insanity.
"Itis certainly not the clerks" said my
uncle. "There is no reason there" said
he, pushing back the letters Of the day.
"By the way, how does young Bennett get
on? She seems nice creature, that sister
of his, to judge by her lettefs.' .'.-
/" He is the best haud in the Office, by a
long sight, and his sister is very lady-like
creature. They are orphans, poor things,
and he supports her out of his aslary. She
called at the Office two months ago. and j
gave him leave to see her for a few mo-
ments in my room. But he knew it was
against the rules, and has not seen her here
again"
"But what are we to do?" said my
uncle. 81 think l will speak to the First
Lord" i. @
So he spoke to the First Lord, who
thought the affair serious enough. r
1t must be in the letters" said he.
at cannot be in the letters" said my
uncle.
GAS you please" said the chief "but,
although you cannot find it there perhaps
another can. ! would try an expert"
My uncle had no faith in experts or Bow
street runners, and mistrusted them. But
he could not refuse to try the experiment
So the most experienced decipherer in
London was summoned into council, and to
him the letters of the day were secretly
submitted.
He read them all very carefully, looked at
them in the light and looked at the light
through them. At last he threw them all
aside, excepting one from Elinor Beaumont.
"Who is the lady that writes this?" said
the taciturn man of skill at last.
ga very sweet young woman" said
Parker smartly; "sister of my private
secretary"
d" Does she write often?"
eyes; she is his only correspondent, and
writes about twice week"
"Where does she live? ?"
"She lives in Jersey, Beaumont told me.
Their father was in business there"
"And does she always write about the
same sort Of things-aunt's rheumatism,
picnics, squire's tea parties, and the like ?''
"Much the same excepting when she
speaks of Beaumont himself" .I
"Hum p said the exp ert.
"Well, sir" said my uncle who was
rather impatient of the man of skills pom.
posity, "and what may 'hum' mean ?
Have the yonng woman and her aunt's
rheumatism done the mischiefpp @
"Hum She dates from Fleet streetP''
And why should should she not date
from Fleet street ?'' a4a
81 should be sorry to prevent her." said
the unmoved philosopher. Has this cor
respondence continued long %
"oh, yes--a couple of years on SO, but not
nearly SO regularly as lately"
For how long regularly"
About two months"
4 "That is, about the time when you first
suspected the betrayal of confldence?''
Really, my friend, if you can't sec
farther into milestone than that, you may
give up the profession" said my uncle.
"Take my word for it, the Beaumonts have
nothing to do with it. Rubbish ~