Why this should trouble her she hardly knew, but that it did she was certain. She wondered if Grace would say anything about her in the letter she would write to Fred. "I am afraid she will," Nellie said to herself. "I wish I had shown more sympathy for him, and I wanted to so much. But why should she be so happy over his triumph? The idea of her writing to him to tell him of her friendship!"
These thoughts annoyed Nellie, and she felt—yes, we may as well confess it—a little jealous of her friend Grace.
XXII.
The next morning, as Fred was busy at his work, Carl came in from the post office, whither he had gone for the mail for several of the employees, and handed him two letters. On looking at them Fred was surprised to find both postmarked "Mapleton."
He tore one of them open nervously, hoping it might be the long looked for and much coveted answer to his own letter to Nellie Dutton. He looked at the signature—"Grace Bernard."
"What can this mean?" The thought shot through his mind, and then he proceeded to find out in a very sensible way, by reading the letter.
It was simply a friendly letter, that showed a refreshing sympathy for his misfortunes, and expressed a belief that he would in time triumph over all opposition.