"Here, sir, at this house. Mrs. Trevelyan left home, it was believed, to
visit some friends. She came here and took this house. I remained with
her, and have had charge of little Master Rupert ever since."

He asked fifty other questions; they were answered with equal clearness
and precision.

"Let us see the child," said Sir John, impatiently.

She went into the next room and brought out a lovely little boy. He was
asleep, but at the sound of strange voices opened his eyes.

"Mamma!" he cried when he saw Coralie, and she took him in her arms.

Sir John looked earnestly at him.

"There is no mistake," he said; "we want no further evidence. I can tell
by his face this is poor Miles' son."

He was a lovely, bright-eyed boy; he had Coralie's golden-brown hair,
which fell in thick ringlets down his pretty neck.

"But it is Miles' face," Sir John repeated, and we did not doubt him.
"There remains but one thing more to make the whole evidence complete.
We must see the registration of the birth of the child, and it would be
better to see the doctor who attended you, madam."

We did both on the following day. The registration of the child's birth
was right, perfect and without a flaw.

The doctor, a highly respectable medical practitioner, offered us his
evidence on oath.

There was nothing left, then, but to return to Crown Anstey and give up
possession.

I loved the little boy. It was too absurd to feel any enmity against
him. He was so bright and clever; it would have been unmanly not to have
loved dead Miles' son.

Of Coralie Trevelyan I asked but one favor; that she would allow me one
week in which to make some arrangement for Clare before she brought the
young heir home. She cheerfully agreed to this.

"You bear your reverses very bravely," she said.

"Better than I bore prosperity," I replied, and that, God knows, was
true.

This new trial had braced my nerves and made me stronger than I had ever
been in my whole life before.

CHAPTER XIII.

The arrangement made for my sister was one I knew not how to be grateful
enough for. Lady Thesiger insisted that she should go to Harden and
remain there until she was well.

"She need know nothing of your misfortune yet. We have but to say that
she must be kept quiet and admit no visitors except such as we can trust
to say nothing to her. Agatha and myself will take the greatest care of
her, and when she has recovered we will break the news to her.