While Thurston read, Mrs. Welch, who was enjoying her triumph, annotated each letter with running comments. These impressed Ruth greatly, but Thurston wilily kept his face from giving the slightest clew to his thoughts. When he was through reading, Mrs. Welch drew a long breath of exultation.
“Well, what do you say to that?”
“I don’t believe it!” said Thurston, calmly.
“What!” Mrs. Welch was lifted out of her chair by astonishment.
“The writer of that is Jonadab Leech, one of the most unmitigated——”
“Captain Thurston! You do not know what you are talking about!” exclaimed Mrs. Welch.
“Do you mean to say Leech is not the writer of those letters?”
“No, I did not say that,” said Mrs. Welch, who would have cut out her tongue before she would have uttered a falsehood.
“I would not believe Leech on oath,” said the Captain, blandly.