Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. Excerpt from book: Section 3CHAPTER III.- On the morning following the fox-hunt, Mr. Larkington, inquiring at the post-office for letters, was somewhat surprised at the large bundle of notes which the clerk put into his hand. He glanced hurriedly over the addresses: there was one foreign letter, with an English postmark, directed in a pointed feminine hand. This letter he impatiently tore open, unfolding it without glancing at the writing, and looked between the closely written pages of the sheet. Here he found a narrow slip of paper, which the lady clerk observed afterwards to the postmaster " was a check, as any one could see." Whether this lady was right in her hypothesis or not, the perusal of the narrow bit of paper seemed to have an agreeable effect upon Mr. Larkington. His face, which until then had been rather moody, cleared, and, folding the paper, he placed it carefully in his pocket-book, thrust the unread letter which had been so carefully written, into his pocket, and proceeded to open leisurely the other notes. All of these bore the local postmark. The first one was marked by an elaborate crest, in blue and gold, and read as follows: " Mrs. Craig requests the pleasure of Mr. Larkington's company at dinner on Monday evening next, at half-past seven." Another informed him that " Mrs. Fallow- Deer hopes that Mr. Larkington will drive with her on Saturday afternoon." A third read: " Mr. Belhomme will be very glad to lend Mr. Larkington his coach and horses on Friday and Saturday of this week, during his absence in New York." There were half a dozen other invitations to balls and routs of various kinds, and, most important of all to the mind of the Englishman, invitations for a month to the Redwood and Casino Clubs. To the first of these, incorrectly called the " Reading Room," Larkington immedia...