Under Lock and Key: A Story. Volume 1 (of 3)

Transcriber's Notes: 1. Page scan source: The Internet Archive https://archive.org/details/underlockkeystor01spei (Library of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
In justice to himself the author thinks it requisite to state that the entire plan of this story was sketched out, and several of the chapters written, before the first lines of Mr. Wilkie Collins's Moonstone had been given to the Public.
He has further denied himself the pleasure of reading The Moonstone till after the completion of his own story, so as to preclude any possible charge of having derived the outline of his plot from the work of another writer.
London, February , 1869.
Miss JANET HOLME,
To the care of Lady Pollexfen,
Dupley Walls, near Tydsbury,
Midlandshire.
There, miss, I'm sure that will do famously, said Chirper, the overworked oldish young person whose duty it was to attend to the innumerable wants of the young-lady boarders of Park Hill Seminary. She had just written out, in a large sprawling hand, a card as above, which card was presently to be nailed on to the one small box that held the whole of my worldly belongings.
And I think, miss, added Chirper, meditatively, as she held out the card at arm's length and gazed at it admiringly, that if I was to write out another card similar, and tie it round your arm, it would mayhap help you in getting safe to your journey's end.
I, a girl of twelve, was the Janet Holme indicated above, and I had been looking over Chirper's shoulder with wondering eyes while she addressed the card. But who is Lady Pollexfen, and where is Dupley Walls? and what have I to do with either, Chirper, please? I asked.
If there is one thing in little girls more hateful than another, it is curiosity, answered Chirper, with her mouth half full of nails. Curiosity has been the bane of many of our sex. Witness Bluebeard's unhappy wife. If you want to know more, you must ask Mrs. Whitehead. I have my instructions, and I acts on them.