Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1895-04-05
CHAPTER XVI.


It will be remembered that when Dr.
Lennox removed Dorothea's possessions
from her fathers cabin he found an old
chest which contained number OF
papers, These papers the doctor merely
glanced at, and finding them to be OF o
family nature, laid them back FOR future
investigation. But for several weeks he
was pressed by professional visits, and
the napers passed entirely from his mind
When he Lid think of them, his interest
in thel1 bad Gubsided, and one excuse
after altethAI was made for leaving them
unexamlaad. At first he imagined that
they would prove of importance to Doro-
thea. but after a few weeks this idea
faded from his mind and with 1t his In
terest in them.
So they lay, neglected. until Dorothea
was married, when they were turned
over to Egbert. To him, also, they
proved of no interest or Importance, until
one day while Dorothea was III and he
had nothing to relieve his long watch
over her. Then the thought came to him
that in the old chest he might find some
thing to entertain him, and he opened 1t.
On raising the lid, which had been
forced, the doctor having no key to the
chest. he found a pile of dusty papers
living on the top of several dresses OF httY
wears before. The papers were merely
deeds and leases, which failed in the
slightest degree to interest him, but be-"
fore he had glanced at half the pile he
found that they belonged to noble fam
ilv of England, and he began to look al
them more closely. His attention was
attracted most closely to come Old
manuscripts, from which he drew out
one yellow with age and written in old
English letters. 1t was patent OF no
bility granted by James l., by which tho
title of lord and the rank OF Ion was
given to one Richard W.
Under these was paper Which bore
less of the marks of time than any OF
the others, and, on opening it, Egbcri
found it to be copy of an olden paper
made by one Lady ElinOr. The paper
claimed to be a true copy OF patent
granting the honor of dukedom to-
grandson of the first baron of -, Will
the title Duke of -.
The arms of the newly made duke
were here given, and the, next paper gave
q short sketch of the bearer of them anO
his family. 1t seemed that his grace, the
Duke on4Glancy, possessed a large IS
tate. and T. ith a larger generosity than IS
often found among men of his rank,
gave ruined castle and tract OF land
TO a Younger son. Here genealogical
tree was copied, and the descendants OF
this second bra9ch of the family were
given minutely. This was traced down
to a date not more than twenty-five years
previous, and the second made was;
aDorothea, only child of Alfred KeneIAr
born June 4, 16-."
Only one paper remained in the chest
or rathxr one bundle tied with white
ribbon. Egbert opened 1t and drew
forth frt a statement of the preceding
papers. This traced the line OF the t"o
branches down to the year 10, ana thel
stated that the only remaining descend
| ants of the great duke were Henry
Duke Of, and Cecil, a country squire
the last of the descendants OF th'
Younger brother of the first Duke Oh
The next paper proved to be state
ment in womans hand, to the enec'
that the only daughter of Cecil had beer
disowned by her father for par1ying on'
Mark Hillary, and inclosed In this docu
ment were several letters which bore ou
| the truth of the statement.
Egbert read the papers with care, an(
| then replaced them. He learned iron
them that his wife was q descendant O.