od education,
and had sent him to the very same school to which the sons of Dame
Halliburt's master, Mr Herbert Castleton, went. There were two of
them, Mr Ranald and Mr Ralph. Mr Herbert was Sir Reginald
Castleton's younger brother. He was a proud man, as all the Castletons
were, and hot-tempered, and not what one may call wise. He was
sometimes over-indulgent to his children, and sometimes very harsh if
they offended him. For some cause or other Mr Ranald, the eldest, was
not a favourite of his, though many liked him the best. He was generous
and open-hearted, but then, to be sure, he was as hot-tempered and
obstinate as his father. While he was at college it was said he fell in
love with a young girl who had no money, and was in point of family not
a proper match for a Castleton. Some one informed his father, who
threatened to disown him if he married her. He could not keep him out
of Texford, for he was Sir Reginald's heir after himself. This fact
enraged him still more against his son, as he thus had not the full
power he would have liked to exercise over him. When Mr Herbert
married, his wife brought him a good fortune, which was settled on their
children, and that he could not touch either. They had, besides their
two sons, a daughter, Miss Ellen Castleton, a pretty dark-eyed young
lady. She was good-tempered and kind to all about her, but not as
sensible and discreet as she should have been.

When Mr Ranald and Mr Ralph left school young Martin Goul, whose
character was not so well known then as it was afterwards, came to the
house to pay them a visit. As they had been playmates for some years,
and he dressed well and rode a fine horse, they seemed to forget that he
was old Martin Goul's son, and treated him like one of themselves. To
my mind, continued the dame, nothing belonging to old Goul was fit to
associate with Mr Castleton's sons. Once having got a footing in the
house, he used to come pretty often, sometimes even when the young
gentlemen were away from home, and it soon became known to every one
except Mr and Mrs Castleton that Lawyer Goul's son was making love to
Miss Ellen. She, poor dear, knew nothing of the world, and thought if
he was fit to be a companion of her brothers, it was no harm to give her
heart to him. She could see none of his faults, and fancied him a
brave, fine young fellow, and he could, besides, be as soft as butter
when he chose, and was as great a hypocrite as h