city
property, she said, which had come with her grandmother, had always
given the family more trouble than it was worth. Indeed, her
grandmother had been a very troublesome woman altogether; and no
wonder, for though she was a Protestant herself, she had had Papist
relations in Lancashire. She distinctly remembered to have heard that
there was some flaw in the title of that property, and she knew that
it was very hard to get some of the tenants to pay any rent. That she
had always heard. She was quite sure that this man was some person
laying a claim to it, and threatening to prosecute his claim at law.
It was a thousand pities that her brother should allow such a trifle
as this,--for after all it was but a trifle, to fret his spirits and
worry him in this way. But it was the wretched state of his health:
were he once himself again, all such annoyances as that would pass
him by like the wind.

It must be acknowledged that Aunt Letty's memory in this respect was
not exactly correct; for, as it happened, Sir Thomas held his little
property in the city of London by as firm a tenure as the laws and
customs of his country could give him; and seeing that his income
thence arising came from ground rents near the river, on which
property stood worth some hundreds of thousands, it was not very
probable that his tenants should be in arrear. But what she said had
some effect upon Herbert. He was not quite sure whether this might
not be the cause of his father's grief; and if the story did not have
much effect upon Lady Fitzgerald, at any rate it did as well as any
other to exercise the ingenuity and affection of Aunt Letty.

Sir Thomas passed the whole of that day in his own room; but during a
great portion of the day either his wife, or sister, or son was with
him. They endeavoured not to leave him alone with his own thoughts,
feeling conscious that something preyed upon his mind, though
ignorant as to what that something might be.

He was quite aware of the nature of their thoughts; perfectly
conscious of the judgment they had formed respecting him. He knew
that he was subjecting himself, in the eyes not only of his own
family but of all those around him, to suspicions which must be
injurious to him, and yet he could not shake off the feeling that
depressed him.

But at last he did resolve to make an attempt at doing so. For some
time in the evening he was altogether alone, and he then strove to
force his mind to work up