never willingly would have quitted, was
taken from her and given to the man whom she considered so unworthy
of it, and so little capable of appreciating the advantages attached
to its possession. She felt herself slighted, and to this slight
is to be attributed the restless hatred and unrelenting bitterness
with which she pursued the General during the rest of her life. She
declared her brother and sister had worked upon her father's feelings
by cunning and intrigue; and she would never believe that the old
Baron had left them the property of his own free-will, or for the
sake of his grandchildren.

It being now the Captain's opportunity, he ordered her to leave the
house with all possible speed; and this was the more galling, as he
did not himself retire from active service and occupy the castle as the
old Baron had desired him to do. He was changed about from one garrison
town to another, daily expecting to be ordered on foreign service, and
therefore unable to derive much enjoyment from his possessions. His
wife and children would sometimes stay a few weeks at the castle
in the summer; but the former did not long survive her father. The
children stayed with Von Zwenken in the garrison, until the daughter
was old enough to go to a boarding-school in Switzerland, and the son
to be placed under a tutor, who was to coach him for the university.

I agree with Aunt Sophia in her assertion that Von Zwenken was not the
"right man in the right place." He made no good use of his possessions;
and the house was entrusted to a care-keeper, who was as incompetent as
he afterwards proved himself dishonest. The old steward, who had been
dismissed to make room for this stranger, was immediately engaged by
Aunt Sophia to stay in the neighbourhood and keep her informed of all
that happened at the castle. For though she had removed to another
province in which her own estates were situated, she could neither
separate her affections nor her thoughts from her old home.

Sometimes the Captain, who had now obtained the rank of Major, would
come with a party of friends for the shooting, but he never seemed to
observe that the whole place was going to rack and ruin. Further, he
was always in want of money; and when his daughter married an English
officer, Sir John Mordaunt, he was obliged to sell a considerable
part of his estates, so as to be able to give her the portion of the
fortune left her by her mother.

He had already several mort