“I know the Jervis family; why, man, I made it my business to study it up. Your grandfather, a splendid old soldier, died at Richmond in his own house, as sane as I am--saner, indeed, for I’ve been near losing my senses several times of late. Your uncle, noble fellow, jumped overboard to save life and lost his own. Your father’s head was cracked by a fall. Who told you this other balderdash?” “Fernandez, my father’s heir. He was informed by Mrs. Jervis, my late step-mother. And it is all true what you tell me?” “As true as I am a living man and sinner. Your father, no doubt, believed every one of his people to be lunatics, a phase of his own delusions.” “Uncle Dan,” broke in his nephew, “I don’t think you can ever realize what you have done for me. You have restored me--to life--to hope. That was the reason why I gave up Miss Gordon.” “And she is staunch to you still,” nodding his head emphatically. “How on earth do you know?” “Oh, I know a good deal, considering that I have only been a fortnight in the country! Mark, my dear boy, I see that all this sudden news is too much for you.” “Go on--go on,” cried the other, white with excitement; “such news is never too much for any one.” “Well, you know, I came up by that maddening, twisting cart road--I began to think it had no ending, like eternity. You recollect the fountains, every few miles? At one of them, my fellows stopped to drink and smoke, and there was a lady watering her horse--a remarkably handsome girl, riding a fine black Arab. She had a white puppy on her knee. She looked so pleasant, that though, as you know, I’m a shy man, I ventured to speak to her, and asked her if the road led to any place, short of China? or if she had ever _heard_ of Shirani? Yes, she lived there; and it was just four miles further. We fell into talk, we were going the same way--her horse would not stand the puppy at any price, but reared, and flung about like a mad thing. She sat him splendidly, I will say, and held on to the dog like grim death; she said he was tired--and the long and the short of it was, that _I_ took the pup in the dandy, and of all the nasty fidgeting little brutes!--but that girl has such beautiful eyes--I could do anything for her. And I’d like to see the man that could resist her! I told her my name, and said I had come out after my nephew, and asked her if she had ever heard of him--his name was Jervis. She immediately became bright scarlet, I do assure you, and said ‘Yes.’ I ventured to inquire her name. She said it was Gordon; and when I replied, ‘I have heard of _you_,’ she grew, if possible, still redder. We became as thick as thieves in no time. I got out and walked beside her, actually carrying the pup--for he would not sit in the dandy alone--and she told me a lot about the hill folk, and the mountain peaks, and taught me a few words of Hindostani. I inquired about an hotel, and she declared that there was none, and I must come