Dear mother,

I am terribly upset. I overheard Father talking to Ms. Keyes about our letters! I have been giving them to him to post, but it never occurred to me that he might be opening them and reading what I write. Correspondence should be private, as I am sure you would agree.

Ms. Keyes told him to “stop this charade” and that he was “only hurting the poor girl,” to which my Father replied that the letters contained important information that he would not have gotten otherwise. I could not hear anymore, for Mrs. Hawley barged in with dinner. But I dread to think what he has found out… perhaps it was him that got rid of Mr. Harrington after my last letters to you. One thing is certain: I will never again give him any letter to post. I shall post this one myself tomorrow morning before school. I am sure James will agree to drop me by the post office first; he has been our driver for so many years — he has known me since I was a baby.

What now terrifies me is what Ms. Keyes meant by “charade.” Is it simply pretending that he has no idea about the contents of my letters to you? Can it be that Father has been deceiving me with something else?

I can never trust him again.

With a lot of love to the only trustworthy parent, I have left,

Your little bear