rather blank when she found that Clarence did not mean to give up
business, nor even to become a sleeping partner; but when she
examined into ways and means, she allowed that he was prudent, and
that perhaps it was due to Mr. Castleford not to deprive him of an
efficient helper under present circumstances. Meantime she was
content to do her best for Earlscombe 'for the present,' by which
she meant till her son brought home a wife; but we knew that to him
the words bore a different meaning, though he was still in doubt and
uncertainty how to act, and what might be the wrong to be undone.

He was anxious to persuade her to go from home for a short time, and
prevailed on her at last to take Emily and me to Dawlish, while the
repairs went on which had been deferred during my father's
feebleness; at least that was the excuse. We two, going with great
regret, knew that his real reason was to have an opportunity for a
search among the ruins.

It was in June, just as Martyn came back from Oxford, eager to share
in the quest. Those two brothers would trust no one to help them,
but one by one, in the long summer evenings, they moved each of
those stones; I believe the servants thought they were crazed, but
they could explain with some truth that they wanted to clear up the
disputed points as to the architecture, as indeed they succeeded in
doing.

They had, however, nearly given up, having reached the original
pavement and disinterred the piscina of the side altar, also a
beautiful coffin lid with a floriated cross; when, in a kind of
hollow, Martyn lit upon the rotten remains of something silken,
knotted together. It seemed to have enclosed a bundle. There were