Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images available at The Internet Archive) THE THREE BROTHERS. BY MRS. OLIPHANT, AUTHOR OF ‘CHRONICLES OF CARLINGFORD,’ ‘SALEM CHAPEL,’ ‘THE MINISTER’S WIFE,’ ETC. ETC. IN THREE VOLUMES. VOL. III. LONDON: HURST AND BLACKETT, PUBLISHERS, 13 GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET. 1870. _The Right of Translation is Reserved_ LONDON STRANGEWAYS AND WALDEN, PRINTERS., 28 Castle St. Leicester Sq. CONTENTS OF THE THIRD VOLUME. PAGE I. ALICE’S FATE 1 II. A STRUGGLE 16 III. EXCHANGED INTO THE 200TH 36 IV. WHAT IT COSTS TO HAVE ONE’S WAY 56 V. THE FALLING OF THE WATERS 73 VI. THE RAVEN 93 VII. THE DOVE 113 VIII. BEN 133 IX. THE NEXT MORNING 154 X. AUNT LYDIA 174 XI. ALL HOME 184 XII. SUSPENSE 199 XIII. THE WILL 220 XIV. THE END OF A DREAM 241 XV. AN UNEXPECTED VISITOR 262 XVI. WHAT IT ALL MEANT TO LAURIE 283 XVII. CONCLUSION 304 THE THREE BROTHERS. CHAPTER I. ALICE’S FATE. Alice Severn was very innocent and very young,--just over sixteen,--a child to all intents and purposes,--as everybody thought around her. Old Welby, who had taken to meddling in the padrona’s affairs, with that regard which the friends of a woman who is alone feel themselves entitled to display for her interests, had been pressing very earnestly upon Mrs. Severn’s attention the necessity of preparing her child, who had an evident and remarkable talent, to exercise it in public.