t
there would be a great satisfaction in the real one inheriting all our
landed property has very little in it. There is plenty for them both,
and each of them will be just as happy on three thousand a year as he
would on six.

"As matters stand now, I have divided the property as nearly as possible
equally between them. Madge, of course, will have her share; and I have
left it in my will that they shall draw lots which shall have the part
with the house and park on it, while the other is to have a sum of money
sufficient to build an equally good house on his share of the estate. We
can only hope that chance will be wiser than we, and will give the old
house to the right boy. However, whether our son or our adopted son,
whichever be which, gets it, does not concern me greatly. There is
enough for our son to hold a good position and be comfortable and happy.
Beyond this I do not trouble. At any rate the grievance, if there is a
grievance, is a sentimental one; while it would be a matter of real
grief to me should either of them, after having always looked upon us as
his parents, come to know that he does not belong to us, and that he has
been all along in a false position, and has been in fact but an
interloper here. That would be terribly hard for him--so hard that I
have ceased to wish that the matter should ever be cleared up, and to
dread rather than hope that I should discover an unmistakable likeness
to either of us in one or other of them."

"You are right, Percy; and henceforth I will worry no more about it. It
would be hard, dreadfully hard, on either of them to know that he was
not our son; and henceforth I will, like you, try to give up wishing
that I could tell which is which. I hope they will never get to know
that there is any doubt about it."

"I am afraid we can hardly hope that," Captain Clinton said. "There are
too many people who know the story. Of course it was talked about at
every station in India at the time, and I know that even about here it
is generally known. No, it will be better some day or other to tell it
them ourselves, making, of course, light of the matter, and letting them
see that we regard them equally as our sons, and love and care for them
alike, and that even if we now knew the truth it could make no
difference in our feelings towards them. It is much better they should
learn it from us than from anyone else."

At eleven o'clock the dog-cart came to the door. The boys were read