und a letter awaiting me from my lawyers, informing me
somewhat to my astonishment, that I had succeeded to a small estate in
Cumberland. I must tell you exactly how this came about. My mother was a
Miss Ringwood, and she was the youngest of three children: the eldest
was Aldina, the second was Geoffrey, and the third (my mother) Alice.
Their mother (who had been a widow since my mother's birth) lived at
this little place in Cumberland, and which was known as The Shallows;
she died shortly after my mother's marriage with my father, Captain
Westcar. My aunt Aldina and my uncle Geoffrey--the one at that time aged
twenty-eight, and the other twenty-six--continued to reside at The
Shallows. My father and mother had to go to India, where I was born, and
where, when quite a child, I was left an orphan. A few months after my
mother's marriage my aunt disappeared; a few weeks after that event, and
my uncle Geoffrey dropped down dead, as he was playing at cards with Mr.
Maryon, the proprietor of a neighboring mansion known as The Mere. A
fortnight after my uncle's death, my aunt Aldina returned to The
Shallows, and never left it again till she was carried out in her coffin
to her grave in the churchyard. Ever since her return from her
mysterious disappearance she maintained an impenetrable reserve. As a
schoolboy I visited her twice or thrice, but these visits depressed my
youthful spirits to such an extent, that as I grew older I excused
myself from accepting my aunt's not very pressing invitations; and at
the time I am now speaking of I had not seen her for eight or ten years.
I was rather surprised, therefore, when she bequeathed me The Shallows,
which, as the surviving child, she inherited under her mother's
marriage settlement.

But The Shallows had always exercised a grim influence over me, and the
knowledge that I was now going to it as my home oppressed me. The road
seemed unusually dark, cold, and lonely. At last I passed the lodge, and
two hundred yards more brought me to the porch. Very soon the door was
opened by an elderly female, whom I well remembered as having been my
aunt's housekeeper and cook. I had pleasant recollections of her, and
was glad to see her. To tell the truth, I had not anticipated my visit
to my newly acquired property with any great degree of enthusiasm; but a
very tolerable dinner had an inspiriting effect, and I was pleased to
learn that there was a bin of old Madeira in the cellar. Naturally I