“You are deceived. Can such a woman as this be worthy?
“One who encouraged an honest youth to love her, then slighted him, so that he died.
“One who next took a man of no birth as a lover, who was forbidden the house by her father.
“One who secretly left her home to be married to that man, met him, and went with him to London.
“One who, for some reason or other, returned again unmarried.
“One who, in her after-correspondence with him, went so far as to address him as her husband.
“One who wrote the enclosed letter to ask me, who better than anybody else knows the story, to keep the scandal a secret.
“I hope soon to be beyond the reach of either blame or praise. But before removing me God has put it in my power to avenge the death of my son.
“GERTRUDE JETHWAY.”
The letter enclosed was the note in pencil that Elfride had written in Mrs. Jethway’s cottage: