Of course it was left to her unconditionally. But when she married again — when she took that most disastrous step of marrying you, in short,’ said my aunt, ‘to be plain — did no one put in a word for the boy at that time?’

‘My late wife loved her second husband, ma’am,’ said Mr. Murdstone, ‘and trusted implicitly in him.’

‘Your late wife, sir, was a most unworldly, most unhappy, most unfortunate baby,’ returned my aunt, shaking her head at him.

‘That’s what she was. And now, what have you got to say next?’

‘Merely this, Miss Trotwood,’ he returned. ‘I am here to take David back — to take him back