mbers of the Murray
family were living; and the letter in which Mr. Colquhoun detailed the
facts of Elizabeth's existence and circumstances, had reached Geneva
after his departure upon the expedition which was supposed to have
resulted in his death. He had never heard of the Herons. He imagined
Gordon Murray to be still living--probably with a large family and a
wife. He knew that they could not live at Netherglen, and he wondered
vaguely whether he should meet them in the neighbourhood to which he was
going. Murray was such an ordinary name that in itself it told him
nothing at all. Elizabeth Murray! Why, there might be a dozen Elizabeth
Murrays within twenty miles of Netherglen: there was no reason at all to
suppose that this Elizabeth Murray was a connection of the Gordon
Murrays who were cousins of his own--no, not of his own: he had
forgotten that never more could he claim that relationship for himself.
They were cousins of some unknown Brian Luttrell, brought up under a
false name in a small Italian village. What had become of that true
Brian, whom he had refused to meet at San Stefano? And had Father
Cristoforo succeeded in finding the woman whom he sought, and supplying
the missing links in the evidence? In that case, the Murrays would soon
hear of the claimant to their estate, and there would be a law-suit.
Brian began to feel interested in the matter again. He had lost all care
for it in the period following upon his illness. He now foresaw, with
something almost like pleasure, that he could easily obtain information
about the Murrays if he went with the Herons to Strathleckie. And he
should certainly take the first opportunity of making inquiries. Even if
he himself were no Luttrell, there was no reason why he should not take
the deepest interest in the Luttrells of Netherglen. He wanted
particularly to know whether the Italian claimant had come forward.

He was perfectly ignorant of the fact of which Father Cristoforo's
letter would have informed him, that this possible Italian claimant was
no other than his friend, Dino Vasari.

Of course, he could not be long at Strathleckie without finding out the
truth about Elizabeth. If he had lived much with the Herons, he would
have found it out in the course of the first twenty-four hours.
Elizabeth's property was naturally referred to by name: the visitors who
came to the house called upon her rather than upon the Herons: it was
quite impossible that the secrecy u