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These were the days of de Barral's success He had bought the place

without ever seeing it and had packed off his wife and child at once

there to take possession He did not knohat to do with them in

London He hiave there

dinner parties followed by cards in the evening He had developed the

ga passion--or else a mere card mania--but at any rate he played

heavily, for relaxation, with a lot of dubious hangers on

Meanti him every day, lived at the Priory,

with a carriage and pair, a governess for the child and h the railings wandering under the

trees with her little girl lost in her strange surroundings Nobody ever

came near her And there she died as solect, absolutely frolect, rather unexpectedly and

without any fuss The village was sorry for her because, though

obviously worried about soood to the poor and was

always ready for a chat with any of the humble folks Of course they

knew that she wasn't a lady--not what you would call a real lady And

even her acquaintance with Miss Anthony was only a cottage-door, a

village-street acquaintance Carleon Anthony was a tre" architect) and his daughter was not