ppy daughter of the
house; and lastly the family solicitor, and his clerk, who were down
for the obsequies.

Beside these, the undertaker and his men came and went while completing
their preparations for the funeral.

There had been some talk of embalming the body, and delaying the burial,
until the daughter of the deceased banker should view her father's face
once more; but the impossibility of restoring the crushed skull to shape
rendered it advisable that she should not be shocked by a sight of it. So
the day of the funeral was set.

But before that day came, another important event occurred at Lone
Castle. It was not entirely unexpected. The old Duke of Hereward, since
his arrival at the castle, had sunk very fast. He had been carefully
guarded from the knowledge of the tragedy which had been enacted within
its walls. He knew nothing of the murder of Sir Lemuel Levison, or even
of the banker's presence in the castle. His failing mind had gone back to
the past, and he fondly imagined himself, as of yore, the Lord of Lone
and of all its vast revenues. The presence and attendance of all his old
train of servants, who, as I said before, had been kindly retained in the
service of the banker's family, helped the happy illusion in which the
last days of the old duke were passed, until one afternoon, just as the
sun was sinking out of sight behind Ben Lone, the old man went quietly
to sleep in his arm-chair, and never woke again in this world.

A few days after this, in the midst of a large concourse of friends,
neighbors and mourners, the mortal remains of Archibald-Alexander-John
Scott, Duke of Hereward and Marquis of Arondelle, in the peerage of
England, and Lord of Lone and Baron Scott, in the peerage of Scotland,
were laid side by side with those of Sir Lemuel Levison, Kt., in the
family vault of Lone.

The reading of the late banker's will was deferred until his daughter and
sole heiress should be in a condition to attend it.

And the family solicitor took it away with him to London to keep until it
should be called for.

The crisis of Salome's illness passed safely. She was out of the imminent
danger of death, though she was still extremely weak.

The family physician returned to his home and his practice in the village
of Lone, and only visited his patient at the castle morning and evening.

Now, therefore, besides the train of household servants, there remained
at the castle but three inmates--Salome Levi