Mr. Walling could not give the inquiring father the address of the young people, whom he believed to be somewhere in London, living quietly, and pursuing their studies to make up for their long neglected education. But he referred The O’Melaghlin to Mr. Cleve Stuart, of Wolfscliff, West Virginia, who would be able to satisfy him on every point. The O’Melaghlin, having nearly four weeks of time on hand before the sailing of the steamer, which was the first on which he could secure a passage to Liverpool, resolved, instead of writing for information from Mr. Stuart, to go down to Wolfscliff and have a personal interview with the parties who had been intimate with his son and daughter, and who would be able to give him every particular of their character, personal appearance and history. And so, as has been seen, he came to Wolfscliff. The O’Melaghlin was deeply pleased with every circumstance of his reception there; with the cordial welcome of the young master and mistress of the house, with the discovery which he honestly thought he had made of a worthy kinsman in the person of Cleve Stuart, a descendant, as O’Melaghlin himself claimed to be, on his mother’s side, of the royal house of Scotland. But more than all was he pleased with the account he heard from his host and hostess of his long neglected son and daughter. “You will be hearing from these young people every week, will ye not, Wolfscliff?” he inquired that evening, after having finished his story. “My wife hears from her cousin Judith by almost every English mail,” answered Cleve. “And you’ll be getting a letter in a day or so?” “Yes, most likely.” “And, of course, answering it?” “Of course! That is, my wife will! As I hinted before, the correspondence of the two families is kept up by Palma and Judith.” “Ah! So then you are the scribe, Mistress Stuart?” “Oh, yes,” answered Palma, smiling. “And you are thinking, ma’am, what a grand piece of news you will have to tell your friend in your very next letter.” “Indeed, I am thinking of just such a delight!” exclaimed Palma, her eyes fairly dancing with anticipation. “Then I am almost sorry to debar you from such a pleasure, ma’am, but I must beseech you not to make known my existence to my son and daughter until we meet them in England face to face,” said O’Melaghlin solemnly. “Oh!” exclaimed Palma, with a look of great disappointment. “I have good reasons for my request, and I will tell them to you. Your husband, my friend Wolfscliff there, will understand them. I wish to be introduced to the young ones simply as The O’Melaghlin. They have probably never heard that name before in all their lives. They can never suspect its connection with themselves——” “Do I understand you really, O’Melaghlin? Do you wish to be presented as a stranger to your own son and daughter?” inquired Stuart in perplexity. “That is just exactly what I do wish,” replied the Irishman.