His eldest son had set him at defiance, under circumstances which might have justly irritated a father of far milder character; and he declared, in the most positive terms, that he would never see Michael's face again.

In defiance of my entreaties, and of the entreaties of his wife, he tore up, in our presence, the will which provided for Michael's share in the paternal inheritance.

Such was the family position, when the younger son left home for Canada.
"Some months after Andrew's arrival with his regiment at Quebec, he became acquainted with a woman of great personal attractions, who came, or said she came, from one of the Southern States of America.

She obtained an immediate influence over him; and she used it to the basest purpose.

You knew the easy, affectionate, trusting nature of the man in later life--you can imagine how thoughtlessly he acted on the impulse of his youth.