e King's service
that the title of our family should continue with your husband the late
viscount, whereby his fidelity would be always secured to the King. And
a proof of this is, that a year before your husband's death, when he
thought of taking a place under the Prince of Orange, Mr. Holt went to
him, and told him what the state of the matter was, and obliged him to
raise a large sum for his Majesty; and engaged him in the true cause so
heartily, that we were sure of his support on any day when it should be
considered advisable to attack the usurper. Then his sudden death came;
and there was a thought of declaring the truth. But 'twas determined
to be best for the King's service to let the title still go with the
younger branch; and there's no sacrifice a Castlewood wouldn't make for
that cause, my dear.

"As for Colonel Esmond, he knew the truth already." ("And then, Harry,"
my mistress said, "she told me of what had happened at my dear husband's
death-bed"). "He doth not intend to take the title, though it belongs to
him. But it eases my conscience that you should know the truth, my dear.
And your son is lawfully Viscount Castlewood so long as his cousin doth
not claim the rank."

This was the substance of the Dowager's revelation. Dean Atterbury had
knowledge of it, Lady Castlewood said, and Esmond very well knows how:
that divine being the clergyman for whom the late lord had sent on his
death-bed: and when Lady Castlewood would instantly have written to her
son, and conveyed the truth to him, the Dean's advice was that a letter
should be writ to Colonel Esmond rather; that the matter should be
submitted to his decision, by which alone the rest of the family were
bound to abide.

"And can my dearest lady doubt what that will be?" says the Colonel.

"It rests with you, Harry, as the head of our house."

"It was settled twelve years since, by my dear lord's bedside," says
Colonel Esmond. "The children must know nothing of this. Frank and his
heirs after him must bear our name. 'Tis his rightfully; I have not even
a proof of that marriage of my father and mother, though my poor lord,
on his death-bed, told me that Father Holt had brought such a proof to
Castlewood. I would not seek it when I was abroad. I went and looked at
my poor mother's grave in her convent. What matter to her now? No court
of law on earth, upon my mere word, would deprive my Lord Viscount and
set me up. I am the head of the house, dear lad