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Updated: June 14, 2025
"But I am not a stranger," said Mr Sedgwick; "and this young gentleman is a relation of his lordship, indeed, the nearest he has; and probably Lord Heatherly would be glad to see one who will some day succeed to his name and estates." The manner of the servant immediately changed.
After exhausting every likely channel of information, he had a few hours left before the departure of the fast train by which he had determined to return to London; and this leisure he devoted to a visit to Heatherly Park, in the chance of finding Sir David Forster at home. It was just possible that Mr. Holbrook might be one of Sir David's innumerable bachelor acquaintances.
In his absence the man would be very happy to show the house to Captain Sedgewick and his party. Gilbert Fenton asked about John Saltram. Yes, Mr. Saltram had arrived at Heatherly on Tuesday evening, two nights ago. They went over the state-rooms, and looked at the pictures, which were really as good as the Captain had represented them.
Before they left the house, Gilbert and the Captain were obliged to promise to dine at Heatherly next day, very much to the secret distaste of the former, who must thus lose an evening with Marian, but who was ashamed to reveal his hopeless condition by a persistent refusal.
Sir David's advice was only the echo of John Saltram's counsel the counsel which he would receive from every man of the world, no doubt the counsel which he himself would most likely have given to a friend under the same circumstances. Sir David was very cordial, and wanted his visitor to dine and sleep at Heatherly; but this Gilbert declined.
"I think you must be mistaken, my dear sir," I answered. "I never even heard my father say that he was likely to succeed to the title." "Probably not," said Captain Davenport, "as your eldest uncle had two children, and Lord Heatherly had a younger brother; but as all four have since been removed by death, I believe that there is no other heir than yourself."
"Not many. She had, I know, a brother, and I think I recollect him when I was a little boy; but he left England many years ago, and I know has not for a long time been heard of. Papa, besides his brother, had some cousins. One, I know, is Lord Heatherly; but I never saw him, and I think papa kept up no communication with him.
The other contained the words: "Lord Heatherly presents his compliments to Mr Davenport, and not having been personally acquainted with the late Mr Heathfield for many years, must decline in any way interfering with regard to any children he may have left." "Oh dear me!" said Mrs Davenport, when she saw the letters.
Gilbert walked from Lidford to Heatherly by that romantic woodland path by which he had gone with Marian and her uncle on the bright September afternoon when he first saw Sir David's house. The solitary walk awakened very bitter thoughts; the memory of those hopes which had then made the sunshine of his life, and without which existence seemed a weary purposeless journey across a desert land.
He said so, with an expression of surprise at the beauty of the place, where the fern grew deep under giant oaks and beeches, and where the mossy ground dipped suddenly down to a deep still pool which reflected the sunlit sky through a break in the dark foliage that sheltered it. "What, have you never been here?" exclaimed the Captain; "then you have never seen Heatherly, I suppose?" "Never.
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