Free The Mystery Of An Old Murder by Laura Brett

Captain O'Brien. He gave a violent start at the sight of it, and his lips twitched. But he recovered himself instantly, and bent to look at it with polite interest, but without taking it from Kitty.
    "What is it?" he asked. "It is prettily chased."
    "Marjorie found it in the cave just now," said Mr. Bulteel, who was looking at the chimneypiece, and had not noticed his start. "It has the Vyvyan dragon on it. You will find the dragon all over the house. Come and look at the passage leading into the kitchen—the carving is wonderful. That part of the house was built by Black Jasper's son in James the First's time."
    He led the way, and Kitty and Captain O'Brien followed him. But Marjorie had no wish to go into the passage again. She crossed the hall, intending to go out on the terrace, but before she reached the door her father came out of the dining-room, where he had been talking to Tamsin Richards, Robert Carew's housekeeper, who, with her husband, had charge of the house.
    "Marjorie, will you come here a moment," he said to his daughter; "Mrs. Richards would like to see you."
    The old woman took both her hands, looking eagerly at her.
    "I knawed your mother and your aunt well, my dear," she said. "You'ra the very picter of your Aunt Nell—God bless her !—ain't she, sir?"
    "We like to think so," said the rector, putting his hand on his girl's shoulder.
    "An' your brothers be away to the wars, your feyther says," the old woman went on. "Drat that Bonyparte! It's my belief there'll never be no peace while he's above-ground. You've never been in St. Mawan afore, have 'ee, my dear? Would her like to go over the house, passen? It's all in order. Maister Robert could ha' come home any day an' found it ready for 'en."
    "Your cousin Robert will be here next week, Marjorie," said the rector gravely, "but only for a day or two. We will not stay to go through the house this morning, Tamsin. Marjorie must come and see you again."
    "Yes, do 'ee, my dear," the old woman answered. "It's main lonely here sometimes. Come an' have a cup o' tay one arternoon, an' bring the Lunnon young lady weth 'ee." She glanced back over her shoulder as Mr. Bulteel and the others came back into the hall. "Cap'n O'Brien is a nice-spoken gentleman, ain't he, sir? He came to bring me a silk handkercher, knawin' Mrs. O'Brien had allus been a friend to me. But it did give me a start to find 'en in the hall just now. I made sartain sure the door was bolted, but he'd found it open, an' jist walked in. It sent me all of a twitter to see 'en standin' there, but I felt as if I'd knawed 'en for years when he told me he was Cap'n O'Brien. Mrs. O'Brien was allus talkin' about 'en."
    Kitty began to talk of Captain O'Brien as they walked down the narrow, heath-clad valley to the boat. They would meet him again that evening, she told Marjorie. He was to be at Mrs. Carah's tea-party. Mrs. Carah was his cousin's greatest friend, and she was going to help him to divide the ornaments and the other things Mrs. O'Brien had left. He had been to see her that morning, and to ask her advice.
    "He wants everyone who knew Mrs. O'Brien to have something in remembrance of her. Do you not think it is very generous of him, Marjorie?"
    "Very," said Marjorie, as heartily as she could.
    Mr. Bulteel turned sharply round to her. He had detected the grudging note in her voice. "Eh, don't you like our visitor from India, Miss Marjorie?"
    Marjorie was slightly taken aback at Mr. Bulteel's quickness in divining her thoughts. "I have only seen him twice, sir," she said, evasively.
    But Mr. Bulteel would not be content with her answer, and questioned her as to the grounds of her dislike. But Marjorie could not explain; and as soon as she could she escaped from Mr. Bulteel, running on to join Kitty.
    Mr. Drew was slightly vexed with her. Marjorie was a child, and had no right to form opinions about her elders. And when she ran on, he made some remark to this effect. Mr. Bulteel shook his head.
    "She