onths in her delicious company. He afterwards went abroad, and
returned to England with exhausted resources in 1826. He then made
inquiries respecting Sir Hugh Smyth, his supposed father, and
discovered that he had been dead for some time, and that the title and
estates had passed to Sir John. Under these circumstances he believed
it to be useless to advance his claim, and supported himself for the
eleven years which followed by lecturing on education at schools and
institutions throughout England and Ireland.

Up to this time he had never made any inquiry for the things which the
Marchioness of Bath had informed him were under the care of Mr. Davis;
but, in 1839, he visited Frome in order to procure them, and then
found that Davis was dead. Old Mr. Provis, who had brought him up, was
the only person whom he met, and with him he had some words for
obstinately refusing to give him any information respecting his
mother. The interview was a very stormy one; but old Provis, who was
so angry with him at first that he struck him with his stick, quickly
relented, and gave him the Bible, the jewellery, and the heir-looms
which he possessed. Moreover, he showed him a portrait of Sir Hugh
which hung in his own parlour, and gave him a bundle of sealed papers
with instructions to take them to Mr. Phelps, an eminent solicitor at
Warminster. The jewellery consisted of four gold rings and two
brooches. One ring was marked with the initials "J.B.," supposed to be
those of "James Bernard;" and on one of the brooches were the words
"Jane Gookin" at length.

The claimant further stated that, on the 19th of May, 1849, he
procured an interview with Sir John Smyth at Ashton Court. He said
that the baronet seemed to recognise him from the first, and was
excessively agitated when he told him who he was. To calm him, the
so-called Sir Richard said that he had not come to take possession of
his title or property, but only wanted a suitable provision for his
family. It was, therefore, arranged that Sir John's newly-found nephew
should proceed to Chester and fetch his family, and that they should
stay at Ashton Court, while he would live at Heath House.

But the fates seemed to fight against the rightful heir. When he
returned from Chester twelve days later, accompanied by his spouse and
her progeny, the first news he heard was that Sir John had been found
dead in his bed on the morning after his previous visit. All his hopes
were destroyed, an