However, what Dr. St. Cleeve had been as a practitioner matters little.

He was now dead, and the bulk of his property had been left to persons

with whom this story has nothing to do. But Swithin was informed that

out of it there was a bequest of 600 pounds a year to himself,--payment

of which was to begin with his twenty-first year, and continue for his

life, unless he should marry before reaching the age of twenty-five.

In the latter precocious and objectionable event his annuity would be

forfeited. The accompanying letter, said the solicitor, would explain

all.

This, the second letter, was from his uncle to himself, written about a

month before the former's death, and deposited with his will, to be

forwarded to his nephew when that event should have taken place.

Swithin read, with the solemnity that such posthumous epistles inspire, the

following words from one who, during life, had never once addressed him:-'DEAR NEPHEW,--You will doubtless experience some astonishment at

receiving a communication from one whom you have never personally

known, and who, when this comes into your hands, will be beyond the

reach of your knowledge. Perhaps I am the loser by this life-long

mutual ignorance. Perhaps I am much to blame for it; perhaps not.

But such reflections are profitless at this date: I have written with

quite other views than to work up a sentimental regret on such an

amazingly remote hypothesis as that the fact of a particular pair of

people not meeting, among the millions of other pairs of people who

have never met, is a great calamity either to the world in general or

to themselves.

'The occasion of my addressing you is briefly this: Nine months ago a

report casually reached me that your scientific studies were pursued

by you with great ability, and that you were a young man of some

promise as an astronomer. My own scientific proclivities rendered the

report more interesting than it might otherwise have been to me; and

it came upon me quite as a surprise that any issue of your father's

marriage should have so much in him, or you might have seen more of me

in former years than you are ever likely to do now. My health had

then begun to fail, and I was starting for the Cape, or I should have

come myself to inquire into your condition and prospects. I did not

return till six months later, and as my health had not improved I sent

a trusty friend to examine into your life, pursuits, and

circumstances, without your own knowledge, and to report his

observations to me. This he did. Through him I learnt, of favourable

news:-'(1) That you worked assiduously at the science of astronomy.




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