For we already knew that there was nothing in the will that could do us any good.  All depended on my mother’s marriage settlements, and as the marriage was invalid they were so much waste paper.

My uncles, to whom my poor mother’s fortune reverted, would not touch it, and gave every bit back to us; but it was only 10,000 pounds, and what was that among the four of us?

I was in a sort of maze all the time, thinking of very little beyond dear little Alured’s struggle for life, and living upon his little faint smiles when he was a shade better.

Jaquetta has told me more of what passed than I heeded at the time.

Our brothers decided not to retain the Trevor name, to which we had no right; but they had both been christened Torwood; after an old family custom, and they thought it best to use this still as a surname.

Bertram felt the shame, as he would call it, the most; but Fulk held up his head more.  He said where there was no sin there was no shame; and that to treat ourselves as under a blot of disgrace was insulting our parents, who had been mistaken, but not guilty.

Bertram was determined against returning to his regiment, and it would have been really too expensive.  His plan was to keep together, and lay out our capital upon a piece of ground in New Zealand, which was beginning to be settled.

Jaquetta was always ready to be delighted.  Dear child, her head was full of log huts and Robinson Crusoe life, and cows to milk herself; and I really think she would have liked to go ashore in the Swiss family’s eight tubs!

The thorough change, after all the sorrow, seemed delicious to her!  I heard her and Bertram laughing down below, and wondered if they got the length of settling what dogs they would take out!

And Fulk!  He really had almost persuaded himself that Emily would go with us; or at the very worst, would wait till he had achieved prosperity and could come home and fetch her.

Mrs. Deerhurst had declared that waiting for the decision was so bad for her nerves, that she must take her to Paris; and actually our dear old stupid fellow had not perceived what that meant, for the woman had let him part tenderly with Emily in London, with promises of writing, &c., the instant the case was decided.  It passed his powers to suppose she could expose her daughter’s heart to such a wreck.  So he held up, cheerful and hopeful, thinking what a treasure of constancy he had!  And when they had built their castle in New Zealand, they sent up Jaquey to call me to share it with them.  Baby was asleep, and I went down; but when I heard the plan—­it was cross to be so unsympathizing, but I did feel hurt and angry at their forgetting him; and I said, “I shall never leave Alured.”

“Ursula! you could not stay by yourself,” said Jaquey.  And Bertram, who had hardly ever seen him, and could not care for him said it was nonsense, and even if there were a chance of the child living, I could not be left behind.