lton, Herbert continued to state,
for it was he who wrote particularly of Arthur, the young man had
declared he knew well; but where he had heard it, or how, appeared like
a dream. He thought he had even seen Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton once, not
very many years ago; but so many changes in his life had occurred since
then, that the particulars of that meeting he could not remember.
"Myrvin and Llangwillan appear equally familiar to me," wrote Herbert;
"but even more than to Arthur they seem as the remembrances of an
indistinct dream. It has sometimes occurred to me that they are combined
with the recollection of my aunt, Mrs. Fortescue, and Arthur, to whom I
mentioned her death, suddenly recalled a dying lady and her two
children, in whom his father was very much interested. Fortescue he does
not well remember, but the little girl's name was Ellen, a pale,
dark-eyed and dark-haired, melancholy child, whom he used to call his
wife, and my cousin certainly answers this description. If it be indeed
the same, it is strange we should thus come together; and oh! my dearest
father, the benefit our family received from this venerable and injured
man, bids me long more intently that we could do something for him, and
that Arthur should be restored to his former position. He is of full
age, and quite capable of taking orders, and I have often thought, could
he reside with Mr. Howard the year previous to his ordination, it would
tend much more to his happiness and welfare than remaining here, even if
he was released from that grade, the oppression of which now hangs so
heavily upon him. Follies have been his, but they have been nobly
repented; and something within me whispers that the knowledge he is my
dearest and most intimate friend, that we mutually feel we are of
service to each other, will plead his cause and my request to my kind
and indulgent father, with even more force than the mere relation of
facts, interesting as that alone would be."

He was right. The friend, the chosen and most intimate friend of their
younger son would ever have been an object of interest to Mr. and Mrs.
Hamilton. That he was the son of the same good man who had acted so
benevolently towards Eleanor and her orphan children, who had soothed
her dying bed, and reconciled the parting sinner to her Maker, added
weight to the simple yet pathetic eloquence with which Herbert had
related his story. The injury he had sustained excited their just
indignation, an