welcome from the old
general, who quickly made his appearance.

"And here comes Harry and another gentleman galloping along the avenue
as if the fate of the kingdom depended on their speed," he exclaimed.

Julia and the captain went out to meet them, and in another minute
returned accompanied by Harry and the lawyer. Harry could scarcely
speak. Julia knew by the way he embraced her and his mother, that his
heart was bounding with joy.

"She can no longer be looked upon as unworthy of marrying a Castleton,
for she is a Castleton herself, though all my May desires is to bear my
name," he exclaimed at length; "but Mr Shallard will explain the
discovery we have made more clearly than I can. Our good cousins
promise to bring her here as soon as a carriage can be obtained."

Sir Ranald, as may be supposed, listened to this announcement with the
deepest interest, as he did to the account given by the lawyer.

Mr Shallard, after briefly describing the discovery of the chest which
had been so long hid by Martin Goul in the old mill, then went on to
state that, having examined the documents in it, he had no doubt
whatever that the little girl who had been rescued from the wreck on
board which the chest had been found, was the child of the long lost
Ranald Castleton. This was corroborated by the locket with the initials
of M.C. which she had on, and with the dress which had been carefully
preserved by Dame Halliburt, while several of the articles in the chest
had the Castleton arms and crest.

The eyes of those who knew Sir Ranald were turned towards him.

"Through the mercy of heaven my two children have been restored to me on
the same day," he exclaimed. "I had embarked for England after her
mother's death, with my little daughter and her native nurse. While we
were still in ignorance that the war had broken out, we were captured by
a French privateer. A heavy gale was blowing at the time, and I, with
other passengers, had just been removed, when all further communication
between the ships was prevented by the fury of the wind and sea. I was
almost driven to despair when I found that the ships had separated
during the night. It was the opinion of our captors that only a few men
having been put on board, the crew had risen and retaken the vessel.
They searched in vain for her. It was believed, with savage
satisfaction by the French, that a wreck we fell in with two days
afterwards, which went down before she cou