Part 52 (1/2)
”Well,” said Despard, ”that question answers itself As a man is born, so he is; and if nature denies him taste or sensibility it makes no difference what is his profession”
Mrs Thornton made no reply
”My last journey,” said Despard, ”was about the Brandon case I went to London first to see if so could not be done I had been there before on the same errand, but without success I was equally unsuccessful this time
”I tried to find out about Potts, the man who had purchased the estate, but learned that it was necessary to go to the village of Brandon I went there, and made inquiries Without exception the people sympathized with the unfortunate family, and looked with detestation upon thelady went there last year as reputed to be his daughter Every one said that she was extraordinarily beautiful, and looked like a lady She stopped at the inn under the care of a gentleman who accompanied her, and went to the Hall She has never coentle man, with dark hair and beard He see lady, and parted with her inlady ely He was not at all a sentimental man, but a burly John Bull, which e, I o into that place and never be seen again I do not knohat to think of it, nor did any of those hoe”
”Do you suppose that she really went there and never came back?”
”That is what they say”
”Then they must believe that she is kept there”
”Yes, so they do”
”Why do they not take some steps in the hter Soers who have been to the Hall at different ti”
”That does not sound like is”
”Then you think she is a prisoner?”
”I think it odd that she has never coo to church”
”It is odd”
”This man Potts excited sufficient interest in hout the county, that every body utterly despised hiht that poor Ralph Brandon had been almost mad, and, by his madness had ruined his family Every body believed that Potts had somehow deceived hi any direct proof against him
”But I found out in Brandon the sad particulars of the final fate of the poor wife and her unfortunate children They had been sent away or assisted away by this Potts to America, and had all died either on the way out or shortly after they had arrived, according to the villagers I did not tell them what I knew, but left them to believe what they chose
It seemed to me that they must have received this information from Potts himself; who alone in that poor community would have been able to trace the fortunes of the unhappy e silence
”I have done all that I could,” said Despard, in a disconsolate tone, ”and I suppose nothing now reain from Paolo there may be some new inforo back to your Byzantine poets”
”Yes, if you will assist me”
”You know I shall only be too happy”