“‘And her property, Sir?’

“‘That,’ I replied innocently, ’which comprised half the estate, and which she would have received, on attaining the requisite age, was inherited by her brother, upon her suicide.’

“‘Apparent suicide, you mean,’ said he; and thereupon took up the story, as I have said, matched date to date and person to person, and informed me that exactly a fortnight from the day of Mademoiselle Susanne Le Blanc’s disappearance, a young lady took rooms at a hotel in a Southern city, and advertised for a situation as governess, under the name of Susan White.  She gave no references, spoke English imperfectly, and had difficulty in obtaining one; finally, however, she was successful, and after a few years married into the family of her employer, and became the mother of Mrs. Heath.  The likeness of Mrs. Purcell, the grandchild of Susan White, to Susanne Le Blanc, was so extraordinary, a number of years ago, that, when Ursule, my daughter’s nurse, first saw her, she fainted with terror.  My wife, you are aware, was born long after these events.  This governess never communicated to her husband any more specific circumstance of her youth than that she had lived in the West Indies, and had left her family because they had resolved to marry her,—­as she might have done, had she not died shortly after her daughter’s birth.  Among her few valuables were found this half-coin of Heath’s, and a miniature, which his mother recently gave your cousin, but which, on account of its new interest, she has demanded again; for it is probably that of the ancient lover, and bearing, as it does, a very striking resemblance to yourself, you have pronounced it to be undoubtedly that of your uncle, Reuben Raleigh, and wondered how it came into the possession of Mrs. Heath’s mother.  Now, as you may be aware, Reuben Raleigh was the name of Susanne Le Blanc’s lover.”

“No,—­I was not aware.”

Mr. Laudersdale’s countenance, which had been animated in narration, suddenly fell.

“I was in hopes,” he resumed,—­“I thought,—­my relation of these occurrences may have been very confused; but it is as plain as daylight to me, that Susanne Le Blanc and Susan White are one, and that the property of the first is due to the heirs of the last.”

“Without doubt, Sir.”

“The same is plain, to the Heaths.  I am sure that Marguerite will accept our decision in the matter,—­sure that no daughter of mine would retain a fraudulent penny; for retain it she could, since there is not sufficient proof in any court, if we chose to contest; but it will beggar her.”

“How, Sir?  Beggar her to divide her property?”

“It is a singular division.  The interest due on Susanne’s moiety swells it enormously.  Add to this, that, after M. Le Blanc’s death, Madame Le Blanc, a much younger person, did not so well understand the management of affairs, the property depreciated, and many losses were encountered, and it happens that the sum due Mrs. Heath covers the whole amount that Marguerite possesses.”