English fiction -- 19th century; Inheritance and succession -- Fiction; Mystery fiction; Smugglers -- Fiction
Mary Ursula was alone. She sat near the fire doing nothing, and very
happy in her idleness, for her thoughts were buried in the pleasures
of the past gay night; a smile was on her face. When the announcement
was made, she rose in great surprise to confront the visitor. The
servant shut the door, and Anthony came forward.
He did not commit a similar breach of good manners to the one of the
previous day; the results of that had shown him that fair stranger
cousins may not be indiscriminately saluted with kisses in England. He
bowed, and held out his hand with a frank smile. Mary Ursula did not
take it: she was utterly puzzled, and stood gazing at him. The
likeness in his face to her father's family struck her forcibly. It
must be premised that she did not yet know anything about Anthony, or
that any such person had made his appearance in England. Anthony
waited for her to speak.
"If I understood the name aright--Anthony Castlemaine--you must be, I
presume, some relative of my late grandfather's, sir?" she said at
length.
He introduced himself fully then; who he was, and all about it. Mary
Ursula met his hand cordially. She never doubted him or his identity
for a moment. She had the gift of reading countenances; and she took
to the pleasant, honest face at once, so like the Castlemaines in
features, but with a more open expression.
"I am sure you are my cousin," she said, in cordial welcome. "I
think I should have known you for a Castlemaine had I seen your face
in a crowd."
"I see, myself, how like I am to the Castlemaines, especially to my
father and grandfather: though unfortunately I have not inherited
their height and strength," he added, with a slight laugh. "My mother
was small and slight: I take after her."
"And my poor uncle Basil is dead!"
"Alas, yes! Only a few weeks ago. These black clothes that I wear are
in memorial of him."
"I never saw him," said Miss Castlemaine, gazing at the familiar--for
indeed it seemed familiar--face before her, and tracing out its
features. "But I have heard say my uncle Basil was just the image of
his father."
"And he was," said Anthony. "When I saw the picture of my grandfather
yesterday at Greylands' Rest, I thought it was my father's hanging
there."
It was a long while since Miss Castlemaine had met with anyone she
liked so well at a first interview as this young man; and the quarter
of an hour passed quickly. At its end the servant again appeared,
saying his master would see him in his private room. So he took leave
of Mary Ursula, and was conducted to it.
But, as it seemed, Mr. Peter Castlemaine did not wait to receive him:
for almost immediately he presented himself before his daughter.
"This person has been with you, I find, Mary Ursula! Very wrong of
Stephen to have brought him up here! I wonder what possessed him to do
it?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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