Else, why does he never smile, or talk, or look
you straight in the face? And why is he always brooding, with his head
bent down and his hands clenched together? Yes, there _is_ something
hidden, and Hannah knows it, and this it is which turned her hair grey
so early, and has made her as queer and reticent as your father. There
is a secret between them, but do not try to discover it. There may be
disgrace of some kind which would affect your whole life, so let it
alone. Make good use of what I leave you, and marry one of the Greys.
Lucy is the sweeter and the more amiable, but Geraldine is more
ambitious and will help you to reach the top."
This was the last conversation Mrs. Wetherby ever held with her nephew,
for in two days more she was dead, and Burton buried her in Mt. Auburn,
and went back to the house which was now his, conscious of three
distinct ideas which even during the funeral had recurred to him
constantly. First, that he was the owner of a large house and twenty
thousand dollars; second, that he must marry one of the Greys, if
possible; and third, that there was some secret between his father and
his sister Hannah; something which had made them what they were;
something which had given his father the name of the half-crazy hermit,
and to his sister that of the recluse; something which he must never try
to unearth, lest it bring disquiet and disgrace.
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