Part 37 (1/2)
”Oh no There was another son, the eldest, the worst of the whole lot, so infernally bad that even old Brandy himself couldn't stand it, but packed him off to Botany Bay It's well he went of his own accord, for if he hadn't the laould have sent him there at last transported for life”
”Perhaps this man is the same one”
”Oh no This eldest Brandy is dead”
”Are you sure?”
”Certain--best authority A business friend ofhome to see his friends He fell overboard and my friend saw him drown It was in the Indian Ocean”
”When was that?”
”Last September”
”Oh, then this one must be the other of course!”
”No doubt of that, I think,” said Potts, cheerily
Brandon rose ”I feel ed Sir John,” said he, stiffly, and with his usual nasal tone, ”for your kindness This is just what I want
I'll put a stop to land to find out this”
”Well, when you walk hiive him my respects and tell him I'd be very happy to see him For I would, you know I really would”
”I'll tell him so,” said Brandon, ”and if he is alive perhaps he'll come here”
”Ha! ha! ha!” roared Potts
”Ha! ha!” laughed Brandon, and pretending not to see Potts's outstretched hand, he bowed and left He walked rapidly down the avenue
He felt stifled The horrors that had been revealed to him had been but in part anticipated Could there be any thing worse?
He left the gates and walked quickly away, he knew not where Turning into a by-path he went up a hill and finally sat down Brandon Hall lay not far away In front was the village and the sea beyond it All the tis took shape and framed themselves into a few sharply defined ideas He s that were in his mind: ”Myself disinherited and exiled! My father ruined and broken-hearted!
My father killed! My mother, brother, and sister banished, starved, and murdered!”
He, too, as far as Potts's as concerned, had been slain He was alone and had no hope that any of his family could survive Now, as he sat there alone, he needed tostood out proo immediately to Quebec to find out finally and absolutely the fate of the faland? He thought over the names of those who had been the hetti, Despard Thornton had neglected his father in his hour of need He had merely sent a clerk to hetti, Brandon kneas dead Where were the others? None of them, at any rate, had interfered
There remained the family of Despard Brandon are that the Colonel had a brother in the army, but where he was he knew not nor did he care
If he chose to look in the arht very easily find out; but why should he? He had never known or heard much of him in any way
There remained Courtenay Despard, the son of Lionel, he to whoht be considered after all as chiefly devolving Of hi, not even whether he was alive or dead
For a tiht not be well to seek hiain his co-operation But after a few ht Why should he seek his help? Courtenay Despard, if alive, ht be timid, or indifferent, or dull, or indolent Why make any advances to one whoht be well to find hih him; but as yet there could be no reason whatever why he should take up his ti his confidence
The end of it all was that he concluded whatever he did to do it by hi as his confidant