G. J. Whyte-Melville 
Uncle John 
A Novel

Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. In consequence of the postman’s arrival, a well dressed free – and – easy butler emerges from certain back-passages and corridors, bringing a draught of cold air With him, and proceeds to unlock the letter box that stands in a remote corner on one of the hall-tables. As he tumbles out the contents he scrutinises their addresses with considerable atten tion. And here I may observe that a shrewd upper servant, who superintends the correspondence of a family, even when he confines himself to the outside of the many missives that pass through his hands, must, if, to use his own language, he puts that and that together, know a great deal more than we give him credit for.