At the house where she was born, there was now no one but a second cousin, to whom her brother, dying unmarried, had left the small estate of the Withrops, along with the family contempt for her husband, and for her because of him, inasmuch as, by marrying him, she had brought disgrace upon herself, and upon all her people.

So said the cousin to Mr.Sclater, but seemed himself nowise humbled by the disgrace he recognized, indeed almost claimed.

As to the orphan, he said, to speak honestly (as he did at least that once), the more entirely he disappeared, the better he would consider it--not that personally he was the least concerned in the matter; only if, according to the Scripture, there were two more generations yet upon which had to be visited the sins of Sir George and Lady Galbraith, the greater the obscurity in which they remained, the less would be the scandal.

The brother who had taken to business, was the senior partner in a large ship-building firm at Greenock.

This man, William Fuller Withrop by name--Wilful Withrop the neighbours had nicknamed him--was a bachelor, and reputed rich.