He folded the letter, locked it in his desk, and again went out.

For some minutes no one spoke. Diana then turned to me.

"Jane, you will wonder at us and our mysteries," she said, "and

think us hard-hearted beings not to be more moved at the death of so

near a relation as an uncle; but we have never seen him or known

him. He was my mother's brother. My father and he quarrelled long

ago. It was by his advice that my father risked most of his

property in the speculation that ruined him. Mutual recrimination

passed between them: they parted in anger, and were never

reconciled. My uncle engaged afterwards in more prosperous

undertakings: it appears he realised a fortune of twenty thousand

pounds. He was never married, and had no near kindred but ourselves

and one other person, not more closely related than we. My father

always cherished the idea that he would atone for his error by

leaving his possessions to us; that letter informs us that he has

bequeathed every penny to the other relation, with the exception of

thirty guineas, to be divided between St. John, Diana, and Mary

Rivers, for the purchase of three mourning rings. He had a right,

of course, to do as he pleased: and yet a momentary damp is cast on

the spirits by the receipt of such news. Mary and I would have

esteemed ourselves rich with a thousand pounds each; and to St. John

such a sum would have been valuable, for the good it would have

enabled him to do."

This explanation given, the subject was dropped, and no further

reference made to it by either Mr. Rivers or his sisters. The next

day I left Marsh End for Morton. The day after, Diana and Mary

quitted it for distant B-. In a week, Mr. Rivers and Hannah

repaired to the parsonage: and so the old grange was abandoned.




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