Rachel would hardly have consented, but was forced to yield to her
mother's entreaties. However, the diligent transformation at L's did
not last long, for three days after a parcel was left at the
Homestead containing five thousand printed copies of the appeal, with
the E rightly inserted. Bessie laughed, and did not disavow the half
reluctant thanks for this compensation for her inadvertence or
mischief, whichever it might be, laughing the more at Rachel's
somewhat ungrateful confession that she had rather the cost had gone
into a subscription for the F. U. E. E. As Bessie said to herself,
it was much better and more agreeable for all parties that it should
so stand, and she would consider herself in debt to Alick for the
amount. Indeed, she fully expected him to send her in the bill, but
in the meantime not one word was uttered between the brother and
sister on the subject. They understood one another too well to spend
useless words.

Contrary to most expectation, there was result enough from Rachel's
solicitations to serve as justification for the outlay in stamps.
The very number of such missives that fly about the world proves that
there must be a great amount of uninquiring benevolence to render the
speculation anything but desperate, and Rachel met with very
tolerable success. Mr. Mauleverer called about once a week to report
progress on his side, and, in his character of treasurer, to take
charge of the sums that began to accumulate. But Rachel had heard so
much on all sides of the need of caution in dealing with one so
entirely a stranger, that she resolved that no one should blame her
for imprudence, and therefore retained in her own name, in the
Avoncester Bank, all the sums that she received. Mr. Mauleverer
declared himself quite contented with this arrangement, and eagerly