"When you lost your parents, Geoffrey, you were too young to have formed a correct estimate of their characters." "I have a very indistinct recollection of my father. I remember my mother well." "You may imagine that. Your father had a fine, manly face, and nature had endowed him with those useless but brilliant qualities of mind, which the world calls genius, and like many of the same class, he acted more from impulse than from principle. Your mother was a beautiful young woman, but with little discretion, who loved unwisely and too well. Her father saw enough of my brother Edward's character, to awaken his suspicions that his attentions to his daughter were not of an honourable nature, and he forbade him the house. "This impolitic step brought matters to a crisis. The young people eloped together, and the old man died of a broken heart. Your mother went by the name of Moncton, and was introduced to his sporting friends as my brother's wife. But no evidence exists of a marriage having taken place; and until such evidence can be procured, the world will look upon you as illegitimate. "You will soon be of age, Geoffrey, and if you are prepared with these indispensable documents, I will assist, to the best of my professional abilities, in helping you to establish your claims. It is not in my power to destroy or invalidate them. Why then these base suspicions--these unmerited reproaches--these hurricanes of passion? Why doubt my integrity at the very moment when I am most anxious to serve you?" "Because in no instance have you ever proved yourself my friend, and I cannot help doubting your sincerity!" "A want of candour is certainly not among your failings," said Mr. Moncton, with a slight curl of his proud lip. "You have studied the law long enough to know the impolicy of such conduct." "I judge, not from fair words but deeds. Sir, the change in your behaviour to me is too sudden for me to believe it genuine." "Strange," mused Mr. Moncton, "so young and so suspicious!" then turning to me, he said, without the least appearance of resentment at my violence, "Geoffrey, I know your faulty temper, and forgive you for using such insulting language. The communication I have just made was enough to irritate your sensitive nature and mortify your pride; but it is not reasonable that your anger should be directed against me. I considered it absolutely necessary, to apprise you of these important facts, and conveyed the knowledge of them to you, as gently as I could, just to show you that you must depend upon your own exertions to advance your position in society." "If your statement be true, what have I to do with society?" said I. "What position could I obtain in a world which already regards me as an outcast?" "Not here, perhaps. But there are other countries, where the conventional rules which govern society in this, are regarded with indifference--_America_, for instance."