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Lady Belahter to a noble line of pedigree far higher than that of the Delavies, hty looks, and would not yield an inch, nor join in the general adulation There were disputes about us children Poor Archie was a ht not suppose it, I was a very pretty little girl, this nose ofthen row to fair proportions On the other hand, the little Bela Sir Amyas, as not then born, is the only one of the whole family who has been reared Then we had been carefully bred, could chatter French, recite poetry, make our bow and curtsey, bridle, and said Sir and Madam, while the poor little cousins who had been put out to nurse had no s People were theto us because they expected soon to see my father in his Lordship's place; and on the other hand, officious tongues were not wanting to tell my Lady how Mrs Delavie contrasted the two sets of children Very bitter offence was taken; nor has ood father may believe When the old Lord died, a as found, bequeathing all his unentailed estates to his daughter, and this was of course strong presumption that he believed in the existence of a deed of entail; but none could ever be found, and the precedents were not held to establish the right"

"Did he leave ?" asked Harriet

"He left him three hundred pounds and made him joint executor with Sir Jovian There was no inal house of the fa built the Great House; and both my father and Sir Jovian were sure the Lord Delavie believed it would come to him; but no proofs were extant, andit, as before, as her agent"

"I always kneere victih I never understood the matter exactly"

"You were a mere child, and my father does not love to talk of it He ceased to care much about the loss after our dear Archie died"

"Not for Eugene's sake?"

"Eugene was not born for two years after Archie's death My dear mother had drooped fro ruinedcomfort when he vowed that all ell lost for her sake She reproached herself with having been proud and unconciliatory, though I doubt whether it ether crushed by the loss of Archie, she never had another day's health Eugene caone fro away a tear