the most
considerable portion of the fortune that had been realised by old
Mr. Burgess had come into the possession of Miss Stanbury herself.
Bartholomew Burgess had never forgiven his brother's will, and
between him and Jemima Stanbury the feud was irreconcileable. The
next brother, Tom Burgess, had been a solicitor at Liverpool, and had
done well there. But Miss Stanbury knew nothing of the Tom Burgesses
as she called them. The fourth brother, Harry Burgess, had been a
clergyman, and this Brooke Burgess, Junior, who was now coming to
the Close, had been left with a widowed mother, the eldest of a
large family. It need not now be told at length how there had been
ill-blood also between this clergyman and the heiress. There had been
attempts at friendship, and at one time Miss Stanbury had received
the Rev. Harry Burgess and all his family at the Close;--but the
attempts had not been successful; and though our old friend had never
wavered in her determination to leave the money all back to some one
of the Burgess family, and with this view had made a pilgrimage to
London some twelve years since, and had renewed her acquaintance
with the widow and the children, still there had been no comfortable
relations between her and any of the Burgess family. Old Barty
Burgess, whom she met in the Close, or saw in the High Street every
day of her life, was her great enemy. He had tried his best,--so at
least she was convinced,--to drive her out of the pale of society,
years upon years ago, by saying evil things of her. She had conquered
in that combat. Her victory had been complete, and she had triumphed
after a most signal fashion. But this triumph did not silence Barty's
tongue, nor soften his heart. When she prayed to be forgiven, as she
herself forgave others, she always exempted Barty Burgess from her
prayers. There are things which flesh and blood cannot do. She had
not liked Harry Burgess' widow, nor for the matter of that, Harry
Burgess himself. When she had last seen the children she had not
liked any of them much, and had had her doubts even as to Brooke. But
with that branch of the family she was willing to try again. Brooke
was now coming to the Close, having received, however, an intimation,
that if, during his visit to Exeter, he chose to see his Uncle Barty,
any such intercourse must be kept quite in the background. While he
remained in Miss Stanbury's house he was to remain there as though
there were no such person