“You must not come to Mrs. Phillips’s again.  I am going to stay in the house till her husband returns, and will protect her from you,” said Brandon.

“Protect her from her own mother!” said Mrs. Peck.  “Let them hold their heads as high as they like, they can’t get out of that.  I am her mother, and if I like I will publish it.  Her father was a gentleman.  I was in clover when I lived with him; but he married, and then he died and left no provision for us; and then I fell in with Peck, and have stuck by him ever since.  He is in Adelaide now, where I wish I had stopped with him with all my heart.  Do you think as Phillips would overlook this if I went back quiet, and keep sending me the poor little allowance as I need to keep soul and body together, for I’m an old woman now, and past working?”

“I do not know.  I will speak to him on the subject, and will probably see you again in a few days.  If you can think of any collateral evidence in the meantime, it will be as well that you tell me.  In the meantime, I must go to communicate to Miss Melville what you have told me.”

Elsie was sadly disappointed at the doubtful nature of the evidence which Mrs. Peck had to give.  She had had such brilliant visions of the happiness which Jane and Francis might have together if it could only be proved that they were not cousins; and she could not help seeing with Brandon that the chance of establishing it was very small.  Brandon told Mrs. Phillips the reason why Mrs. Peck had so assiduously courted Elsie, and then asked if she could recollect anything which she had heard from her mother, her grandmother, or Peck, which would corroborate these unsupported statements.

“I cannot say anything—­I will not say a word till Stanley comes home, and then I will tell him.  He would not like my mixing myself up with her in any way when he was gone, and I never will keep anything from him,” said Mrs. Phillips.

“You are quite right,” said Brandon, who, nevertheless, was rather impatient for any information she might give, and thought it might be valuable, from her hesitation about the matter.  He had not long to wait, however, for Mr. Phillips came down on the following day, and heard all his wife had to say and all Brandon had to say.

“You know, Brandon, that it would be horrible to me to have my wife’s name brought into a court of justice as the daughter of that woman—­cognizant, even in a very vague way, of such a serious crime,” said Mr. Phillips.  “And what purpose can it serve?  You can neither enrich Jane or Alice Melville by proving that the crime was committed.  Mr. Hogarth is as worthy a successor as the old man could have found, and neither of the Melvilles grudges him his good fortune.  Alice will be as comfortable as you can make her, and I wish you both joy from all my heart, and I believe you will be happy.  Miss Melville will be as comfortable and happy as we can make her till she chooses a home for herself.  Why wish to rake up old stories for no good end whatever?  I dare say the story is true.  I said to Hogarth when he and Miss Melville consulted me about the first letter she wrote, that for the very reason she claimed to be his mother I believed she was not.  I advised him not to write to her or send her money, and requested Miss Melville never to mention her name.”