men residing in the house, two of whom were of the ordinary stamp, having nothing to do with my history. Agnes was a good, but plain, girl, very quiet and reserved, with no accomplishment but a sweet voice. Helen had, in addition to her transcendent loveliness, every accomplishment which society in those days expected, and her parents could afford to give her. She could sing well, and play skilfully on the harpsichord. I was a plain young man, almost ugly in countenance, without any particular talents, ungainly in person, and averse to the elegant refinements of fashionable life. Banwell had a handsome face, a smiling, cheerful, winning air, and was a beau in dress and manners. His head was full of vanity and aspiring ambition. His quickness, and the talents which he displayed in his profession, surprised us all. He told me one day that he had discovered a medicine, or rather a certain compound of medicines, which would cure all known diseases, and by which he intended to make a colossal fortune. Lady gossips who came to talk to my mother said that Banwell and Helen were made for each other. I was the youngest of the house, except Helen, and too insignificant to be taken into the account.
'But I noticed that while Banwell was trying, with a gay and careless affectation of simplicity, to become the life and soul of the establishment, Mr. Kerford was watching him with the attention of a professed detective. As for me, I heartily disliked such keen-eyed scrutiny. It was not long before he admitted me into the inmost recesses of his most secret thoughts. He commenced by asking me if I loved my father. I was inclined to be angry, although I had great respect for the honest old man, and demanded if he doubted it, and why he asked the question. He replied that he did not mean to offend me; he had a good reason for asking.
