It
seems that your father when he was dying spoke of his daughter in
England, and Mr. Trent is very anxious now to find you out, and
speaks of a large sum of money which he wishes to invest in your
name."
"He has been a long time thinking about it," Ernestine remarked.
"He explained that," Mr. Cuthbert continued, "in this way. Your
father gave him our address when he was dying, but the envelope on
which it was written got mislaid, and he only came across it a day
or two ago. He came to see me at once, and he seems prepared to
act very handsomely. He pressed very hard indeed for your name and
address, but I did not feel at liberty to disclose them before
seeing you."
"You were quite right, Mr. Cuthbert," she answered. "I suppose
this is the reason why Mr. Davenant has just told me the whole
miserable story."
"It is one reason," he admitted, "but in any case I think that Mr.
Davenant had made up his mind that you should know."
"Mr. Trent, I suppose, talks of this money as a present to me?"
"He did not speak of it in that way," Mr. Cuthbert answered, "but
in a sense that is, of course, what it amounts to. At the same
time I should like to say that under the peculiar circumstances of
the case I should consider you altogether justified in accepting it.
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