d said. Perrault came over from Canada, and brought his
witnesses, but not Joel Lea. He had nothing to prove, had
conscientious scruples about appearing in an English court of justice,
and still hoped it would all come to nothing.

We stayed on at the London house--the lawyers said we ought, and that
possession was "nine-tenths," &c. Besides, we wanted advice for Baby,
who had been worse of late.

The end of it was that it went against us. Faith's marriage, her
identity, and Hester's, were proved beyond all doubt, and little Alured
was served Earl of Trevorsham. Poor child, how ill he was just then!
It was declared water on the brain! I could hardly think about
anything else; but they all said it seemed like a mockery, and that he
would not bear the title a week. And then Lady Hester would have been,
not Countess of Trevorsham, but Viscountess Torwood, and at any rate
she halved the personal property: all that had been meant for us.

For we already knew that there was nothing in the will that could do us
any good. All depended on my mother's marriage settlements, and as the
marriage was invalid they were so much waste paper.

My uncles, to whom my poor mother's fortune reverted, would not touch
it, and gave every bit back to us; but it was only 10,000 pounds, and
what was that among the four of us?

I was in a sort of maze all the time, thinking of very little beyond
dear little Alured's struggle for life, and living upon his little
faint smiles when he was a shade better.

Jaquetta has told me more of what passed than I heeded at the time.

Our brothers decided not to retain the Trevor name, to which we had no
right; but they had both been christened Torwood; after an old family
custom, and they thought it best to use this still as a surname.

Bertram felt the shame, as he would call it, the most; but Fulk held up
his head more. He said where there was no sin there was no shame; and
that to treat ourselves as under a blot of disgrace was insulting our
parents, who had been mistaken, but not guilty.

Bertram was determined against returning to his regiment, and it would
have been really too expensive. His plan was to keep together, and lay
out our capital upon a piece of ground in New Zealand, which was
beginning to be settled.

Jaquetta was always ready to be delighted. Dear child, her head was
full of log huts and Robinson Crusoe life, and cows to milk herself;
and I really think she would have l