the rising of '15, and two years later our father received at Belgrade
that terrible wound which closed his military career. Meantime, Urania
had married Sir Jovian Belamour, and Lord Delavie seemed to have
forgotten my father's offence, and gave him the management of the
estate, with this old house to live in, showing himself glad of the
neighbourhood of a kinsman whom he could thoroughly trust. All went
well till my Lady came to visit her father. Then all old offences
were renewed. Lady Belamour treated my mother as a poor dependant.
She, daughter to a noble line of pedigree far higher than that of the
Delavies, might well return her haughty looks, and would not yield
an inch, nor join in the general adulation. There were disputes about
us children. Poor Archie was a most beautiful boy, and though you
might not suppose it, I was a very pretty little girl, this nose of
mine being then much more shapely than the little buttons which grow
to fair proportions. On the other hand, the little Belamours were
puny and sickly; indeed, as you know, this young Sir Amyas, who was
not then born, is the only one of the whole family who has been reared.
Then we had been carefully bred, could chatter French, recite poetry,
make our bow and curtsey, bridle, and said Sir and Madam, while the
poor little cousins who had been put out to nurse had no more manners
than the calves and pigs. People were the more flattering to us
because they expected soon to see my father in his Lordship's place;
and on the other hand, officious tongues were not wanting to tell my
Lady how Mrs. Delavie contrasted the two sets of children. Very
bitter offence was taken; nor has my Lady ever truly forgiven, whatever
our dear good father may believe. When the old Lord died, a will was
found, bequeathing all his unentailed estates to his daughter, and this
was of course strong presumption that he believed in the existence of
a deed of entail; but none could ever be found, and the precedents
were not held to establish the right."