At home, there were fresh letters and newspapers awaiting him, with the dinner-time, unwontedly late. There had been already the expected tidings from Francis to his mother, though brief, that he was finally free of term-times, having reached London, which he was ready to leave next week; his father’s remaining business there seemed fully settled, but he was to dine, before starting, at their friend the solicitor’s, and bring over with him everything wanted. He enclosed his sister’s letter, however, from her dearest school-fellow, crossed and recrossed, with all its precious gossip for common use, its inexpressible sentiments that were not to be seen by another creature, and its postscript with the sole piece of real, intelligible information. Mrs Mason’s correspondence also, whose contents had at no time been breathed to any one, had been forwarded: while Sir Godfrey himself had a packet from Mr Hesketh’s office in Exeter, giving on the whole satisfactory prospects, and containing a few papers from among the late Sir John’s dreary mass of lumber; hitherto overlooked, but which he might care to examine. They were for the most part unimportant, but he saw, from the first glance at one of them, that had it arrived that morning, it might have simply saved him a little trouble and uncertainty; as it was a French letter of date not long before his brother’s death, evidently written by some humble notary’s clerk, to state the case of the Suzanne in question, who had received a pension for an injury received while in his service, probably interrupted through the change of abode by her children, whose work supported them; but her son had been ill, and the winter severe; the application had been rather made at the penman’s instance, as he lived _au quatrième_ in the house where their attic was, and had himself discovered the address by going to the banker’s, where he had obtained no other prospect. It stated the place and number distinctly, and had in all likelihood led to the memorandum of Sir John,—though no doubt thrown aside at the moment, and with his confused mind in those latter days, so busy amidst out-door matters or convivial meetings, its chief point had been forgotten.