Ɖ nxt mornñ bròt ɖ folowñ vri unixpctd letr fṛm Iẓbela:
Baʈ, Epril
Mî dirist Caʈrin, I rsivd yr tū cînd letrz wɖ ɖ gretist dlît, n hv a ʈǎznd apoḷjiz t mc fr nt anṣrñ ɖm snr. I riyli am qt aśemd v mî îdlnis; bt in ɖs horid ples wn cn fînd tîm fr nʈñ. I hv hd mî pén in mî hand t bgin a letr t y olmst evri de sins y left Baʈ, bt hv olwz bn privntd bî sm sili trîflr or uɖr. Pre rait t m sn, n d’rect t mî ǒn hom. Ʈanc God, w līv ɖs vîl ples tmro. Sins y wnt awe, I hv hd no pleźr in it—ɖ dust z bynd enʈñ; n evrbdi wn cerz fr z gn. I b’liv f I cd si y I śd nt mînd ɖ rest, fr y r dirr t m ɖn enbdi cn cnsiv. I am qt unīzi abt yr dir bruɖr, nt hvñ hŕd fṛm him sins h wnt t Oxfd; n am firfl v sm misunḍstandñ. Yr cînd of̣sz wl set ol rît: h z ɖ onli man I evr dd or cd luv, n I trust y wl cnvins him v it. Ɖ sprñ faśnz r partli dǎn; n ɖ hats ɖ most frîtfl y cn imajn. I hop y spend yr tîm plezntli, bt am afreid y nvr ʈnc v m. I wl nt se ol ɖt I cd v ɖ faṃli y r wɖ, bcz I wd nt b unjenṛs, or set y agnst ɖoz y istim; bt it z vri dificlt t nǒ hūm t trust, n yuñ men nvr nǒ ɖer mîndz tū dez tgɖr. I rjôs t se ɖt ɖ yuñ man hūm, v ol uɖrz, I ptiklrli abhor, hz left Baʈ. Y wl nǒ, fṛm ɖs dscripśn, I mst mīn Captin Tilni, hu, az y me rmembr, wz amezñli dspozd t folo n tīz m, bfr y wnt awe. Aftwdz h got wrs, n bcem qt mî śado. Mni grlz mt hv bn tecn in, fr nvr wr sć atnśnz; bt I ń ɖ ficl sx tù wel. H wnt awe t hiz rejimnt tū dez ago, n I trust I śl nvr b plegd wɖ him agn. H z ɖ gretist cocscom I evr sw, n amezñli dis’griybl. Ɖ last tū dez h wz olwz bî ɖ sîd v Śarlót Devis: I pitid hiz test, bt tc no notis v him. Ɖ last tîm w met wz in Baʈ Strīt, n I trnd d’recli intu a śop ɖt h mt nt spīc t m; I wd nt īvn lc at him. H wnt intu ɖ pumprūm aftwdz; bt I wd nt hv foloud him fr ol ɖ wrld. Sć a contrast btwn him n yr bruɖr! Pre snd m sm nyz v ɖ latr—I am qt unhapi abt him; h sīmd so uncumftbl ẃn h wnt awe, wɖ a cold, or smʈñ ɖt afctd hiz spirits. I wd rait t him mslf, bt hv msleid hiz d’rex́n; n, az I hintd abv, am afreid h tc smʈñ in mî cnduct amis. Pre xplen evrʈñ t hiz saṭsfax́n; or, f h stl harbrz eni dǎt, a lîn fṛm himslf t m, or a cōl at Putni ẃn nxt in tǎn, mt set ol t rîts. I hv nt bn t ɖ rūmz ɖs ej, nr t ɖ ple, xpt gwñ in last nît wɖ ɖ Hojz, fr a frolic, at haf prîs: ɖe tīzd m intu it; n I wz dtrmind ɖe śd nt se I śut mslf p bcz Tilni wz gn. W hapnd t sit bî ɖ Mićlz, n ɖe pritndd t b qt s’prîzd t si m ǎt. I ń ɖer spît: at wn tîm ɖe cd nt b sivl t m, bt nǎ ɖe r ol frendśp; bt I am nt sć a fūl az t b tecn in bî ɖm. Y nǒ I hv a priti gd spirit v mî ǒn. Án Mićl hd traid t pt on a trbn lîc mîn, az I wòr it ɖ wīc bfr at ɖ conṣt, bt md rećid wrc v it—it hapnd t bcm mî od fes, I b’liv, at līst Tilni tld m so at ɖ tîm, n sd evri î wz upn m; bt h z ɖ last man huz wrd I wd tec. I wer nʈñ bt prpl nǎ: I nǒ I lc hidịs in it, bt no matr—it z yr dir bruɖr’z fevrit culr. Lūz no tîm, mî dirist, swītist Caʈrin, in raitñ t him n t m, Hu evr am, ets.
Sć a stren v śalo arṭfis cd nt impoz īvn upn Caʈrin. Its incnsistnsiz, contṛdix́nz, n fōlshd struc hr fṛm ɖ vri frst. Ś wz aśemd v Iẓbela, n aśemd v hvñ evr luvd hr. Hr pṛfeśnz v ataćmnt wr nǎ az dsgustñ az hr xksz wr emti, n hr dmandz impydnt. “Rait t Jemz on hr bhaf! No, Jemz śd nvr hír Iẓbela’z nem mnśnd bî hr agn.”
On Henri’z arîvl fṛm Wŭdstn, ś md noun t him n Eḷnr ɖer bruɖr’z sefti, cngraćletñ ɖm wɖ sinseṛti on it, n rīdñ alǎd ɖ most mtirịl pasjz v hr letr wɖ stroñ inḍgneśn. Ẃn ś hd finiśt it—“So mć fr Iẓbela,” ś craid, “n fr ol ǎr intiṃsi! Ś mst ʈnc m an idịt, or ś cd nt hv ritn so; bt phps ɖs hz srvd t mc hr caṛctr betr noun t m ɖn mîn z t hr. I si ẃt ś hz bn abt. Ś z a ven ccét, n hr trics hv nt ansrd. I d nt b’liv ś hd evr eni rgard îɖr fr Jemz or fr m, n I wś I hd nvr noun hr.”
“It wl sn b az f y nvr hd,” sd Henri.
“Ɖr z bt wn ʈñ ɖt I canot unḍstand. I si ɖt ś hz hd dzînz on Captin Tilni, ẃć hv nt s’xidd; bt I d nt unḍstand ẃt Captin Tilni hz bn abt ol ɖs tîm. Ẃ śd h pe hr sć atnśnz az t mc hr qoṛl wɖ mî bruɖr, n ɖen flî of himslf?”
“I hv vri litl t se fr Fredric’s motivz, sć az I b’liv ɖm t hv bn. H hz hiz vaṇtiz az wel az Mis Ʈorp, n ɖ ćīf difṛns z, ɖt, hvñ a strongr hed, ɖe hv nt yt injrd himslf. F ɖ ifct v hiz bhevyr dz nt jusṭfî him wɖ y, w hd betr nt sīc aftr ɖ cōz.”
“Ɖen y d nt s’poz h evr riyli cerd abt hr?”
“I am pswedd ɖt h nvr dd.”
“N onli md b’liv t d so fr misćif’s sec?”
Henri baud hiz asnt.
“Wel, ɖen, I mst se ɖt I d nt lîc him at ol. Ɖo it hz trnd ǎt so wel fr s, I d nt lîc him at ol. Az it hapnz, ɖr z no gret harm dn, bcz I d nt ʈnc Iẓbela hz eni hart t lūz. Bt, s’poz h hd md hr vri mć in luv wɖ him?”
“Bt w mst frst s’poz Iẓbela t hv hd a hart t lūz—consiqntli t hv bn a vri difṛnt crīćr; n, in ɖt ces, ś wd hv met wɖ vri difṛnt trītmnt.”
“It z vri rît ɖt y śd stand bî yr bruɖr.”
“N f y wd stand bî yrz, y wd nt b mć dstrest bî ɖ dis’pôntmnt v Mis Ʈorp. Bt yr mînd z worpt bî an inet prínsipl v jenṛl integṛti, n ɖrfr nt axesbl t ɖ cūl rīẓnñz v faṃliparśiaḷti, or a dzîr v rvnj.”
Caʈrin wz compḷmntd ǎt v frɖr bitrnis. Fredric cd nt b unpardṇbli gilti, ẃl Henri md himslf so agriybl. Ś rzolvd on nt anṣrñ Iẓbela’z letr, n traid t ʈnc no mor v it.
