ry closely
resembled the head of the family. Therefore these brave men resolved to
go and see their Bristol brother, to whom they were tenderly attached,
and who now must have money enough and to spare. So they wrote to their
brother to meet them on the platform, scarcely believing that they could
be there in so short a time from London; for they never had travelled by
rail before; and they set forth in wonderful spirits, and laughed at
the strange, giddy rush of the travelling, and made bets with each other
about punctual time (for trains kept much better time while new), and,
as long as they could time it, they kept time to a second. But, sad to
relate, they wanted no chronometers when they arrived at Bristol, both
being killed at a blow, with their watches still going, and a smile
on their faces. For the train had run into a wall of Bath stone, and
several of the passengers were killed.

The sight of his two brothers carried out like this, after so many years
of not seeing them, was too much for Mr. Herbert Castlewood's nerves,
which always had been delicate. And he shivered all the more from
reproach of conscience, having made up his mind not to lend them any
money, as a practical banker was compelled to do. And from that very
moment he began to feel great pain.

Mrs. Price assured me that the doctors all agreed that nothing but
change of climate could restore Mr. Castlewood's tone and system, and
being full of art (though so simple, as she said, which she could not
entirely reconcile), he set off for Italy, and there he stopped, with
the good leave of his partners, being now valued highly as heir to the
Dean, who was known to have put a good trifle together. And in Italy
my father must have found him, as related by Mr. Shovelin, and there
received kindness and comfort in his trouble, if trouble so deep could
be comforted.

Now I wondered and eagerly yearned to know whether my father, at such
a time, and in such a state of loneliness, might not have been led to
impart to his cousin and host and protector the dark mystery which lay
at the bottom of his own conduct. Knowing how resolute and stern he was,
and doubtless then imbittered by the wreck of love and life, I thought
it more probable that he had kept silence even toward so near a
relative, especially as he had seen very little of his cousin Herbert
till he had found him thus. Moreover, my grandfather and the Dean had
spent little brotherly love on each other