months; and Annie, his other sister, who lived in Thrums, had been at
him of late for not writing. So he had written a few lines; and, in
fact, he had the letter with him. The letter was then produced, and
examined by the postmistress. If the address was in the schoolmaster's
handwriting, she professed her inability to read it. Was this a _t_
or an _l_ or an _i?_ was that a _b_ or a _d?_ This was a cruel
revenge on Lizzie's part; for the sender of the letter was
completely at her mercy. The school-master's name being tabooed in
her presence, he was unable to explain that the writing was not his
own; and as for deciding between the _t_'s and _l_'s, he could not do it.
Eventually he would be directed to put the letter into the box. They
would do their best with it, Lizzie said, but in a voice that suggested
how little hope she had of her efforts to decipher it proving successful.

There was an opinion among some of the people that the letter should
not be stamped by the sender. The proper thing to do was to drop a
penny for the stamp into the box along with the letter, and then
Lizzie would see that it was all right. Lizzie's acquaintance with
the handwriting of every person in the place who could write gave
her a great advantage. You would perhaps drop into her shop some day
to make a purchase, when she would calmly produce a letter you had
posted several days before. In explanation she would tell you that
you had not put a stamp on it, or that she suspected there was money
in it, or that you had addressed it to the wrong place. I remember
an old man, a relative of my own, who happened for once in his life
to have several letters to post at one time. The circumstance was so
out of the common that he considered it only reasonable to make
Lizzie a small present.

Perhaps the post-mistress was belied; but if she did not "steam" the