The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1869-09-24
CHAPTER iii.

The question Of how am to start the story
properly have tried to settle in two ways.
First, by scratching my bead, which led to
nothing. Second, by consulting my daughter
Penelope. which has resulted in an entirely new
idea.
Penelope's notion is that should set down
what happened regularly day by day, beginning
with the day when we got the news that MIR.
Franklin Blake was expected ON visit to the
house. When you come to fix your memory
with date in this way, il is wonderful what
your memory will pick up for you upon that
compulsion. The only difficulty is to fetch out
the dstes. in the first place. This Penelope Of
fers to do for me by looking into her own diary.
which she was taught to keep when she was at
school, and which she has gone ON keeping ever
since. In answer 10 an improvement ON this
notion. devised by myself. namely, that she
should tell the story instead Of me, out Of her
own diary, Penelope observes, with ierce look
and rel face, that her journal is for her own
private eye, and that no living creature shall
ever know what is in II but herself When
inquire what this means. Penelope says, "Fid-
dlestick - Iay, Sweet-hcarts.
Beginning, then, on Penelopes plan. | beg to
mention that was specially called one We,lnes-
day morning into my lady's own sitting-room.
the date being the twenty fourth Of May. eight
cen hundred and forty-eight.
"Gabriel," says my lady, "hcrc Is news that
will surprise you. Franklin Blake has come
back from abrOad. lie has been staying with
his father in London. and he is coming to us to-
morrow To stop till next month and keep Ia
chel's birthday"
If | hal hal hat in my hand nothing but
Al.
that hat up to the ceiling. hal not seen Mr..
Franklin since he was boy, living along with
US in this house. He was, out Of all sight (as
remembered him), the incest boy that ever spun
top or broke a window. Miss Rachel, who
was present, and to whom made that remark,
observed, in return. that she remembered him
as the most atrUcious tyrant that ever tortured
a doll. and the hardest driver Of an exhausted
little girl in string harness that England could
produce. al bIrn with indignation, and ache
with fatigue" was the way Miss Rachel SUM-
med IL up, "when think Of Franklin Blake"
Hearing what now tell you, you will natu-
rally ask how Il was that Mr.. Franklin shoull l
have passed all the years. from the time when
he was boy to the time when he was a man,
out Of his own country. answer, because his
hther had the misfortune to he next heir TO a
Dukciom, snl not to be able to prove it.
In two words, this was how the thing hap
penei:
My hdy's eldest sister married the celebrated
Mr.. Blske-equally famous for his great riches
and his great suit at law. How many years he
went on worrying the tribunals Of his country
to turn out the Duke in possession, and TO put
himself in the Dukes place-how many law
yers' purses he fllel To bursting, and how many
otherwise harmless people he set by the ears To-
gether disputins whether he was right or wrong
lis more by = great deal than can reckon up.
Ills wife died. and two Of his three children
diei. before the tribunals could make up their
minds to show him the door and take no more
Of his money. When Il was all over, AMI the
Duke in posscssson was lefl in possession, Mr..
Blake discovered that the only way Of being
even with his country for the manner in which
Il had treated him was not 10 let his country
have the honor Of educating his son. "liow can
I trust my native institutions" Was the form in
which be put IL, "after the way in which my
native Institutions have behaved 10 nsf'' Add
TO this that Mr.. Blake disliked all boys, his own
inelndet, and you will admit that Il could only
end IN one way. Master Franklin was taken
from US In England, and was sent TO Institutions
which hs father could trust, in that superior
country. Germsny; Mr.. Blake himself, you
"ih observe, remaining snug in England. TO i'm