It was dated at Rouen, France, and it ran as follows:
"DEAR, DEAR GUY:--I am all alone here in Rouen; not a person
near me who speaks English or knows a thing of Daisy Thornton as she
was, or as she is now, for I am Daisy Thornton here. I have taken the
old name again, and am an English governess in a wealthy French family;
and this is how it came about: I have left Berlin and the party there
and am earning my own living for three reasons, two of which concern
cousin Tom and one of which has to do with you and that miserable
settlement which has troubled me so much. I thought when I brought it
back and tore it up that was the last of it, and did not know that by no
act of mine could I give it to you until I was of age. Father missed it,
of course, and I told him just the truth, and that I could never touch a
penny of your money and I not your wife. He did not say a word, and I
supposed it was all right, and never dreamed that I was actually clothed
and fed on the interest of that ten thousand dollars. Father would not
tell me and you did not write. Why didn't you, Guy? I expected a letter
so long, and went to the office so many times and cried a little to
myself, and said Guy has forgotten me.
"Then we went to South Africa--father, mother, and I--went to live with
Tom. He wanted me before you did, you know, but I could not marry Tom.
He is very rich now, and we lived with him; and then we all came to
Europe and have traveled everywhere, and I have had teachers in
everything, and people say I am a fine scholar and praise me much; and,
Guy, I have tried to improve just to please you; believe me, Guy, just
to please you. Tom was as a brother--a dear, good big bear of a brother
whom I loved as such, but nothing more. Even were you dead, I could not
marry Tom after knowing you; and I told him so when in Berlin he asked
me for the sixth time to be his wife. I had to tell him something hard
to make him understand, and when I saw how what I said hurt him cruelly
and made him cry--because he was such a great, big, awkward, dear old
fellow, I put my arms around his neck and cried with him, and tried to
explain, and that made him ten times worse. Oh, if folks only would not
love me so it would save me so much sorrow.