"He seemed pleased with me and offered me the situation of clerk in his
counting room. I accepted his offer, and also became an inmate of his
dwelling, which was adorned with every conceivable luxury. His family
consisted of himself and his daughter, Inez."
At the mention of Inez, Ashton half started from his chair, but
immediately reseating himself, listened while Mr. Middleton proceeded: "I
will not attempt to describe Inez, for I am too old now to even feel young
again, by picturing to your imagination the beauty of that fair Spaniard.
I will only say that I never saw one, whose style of beauty would begin to
compare with hers, until I beheld my niece, Julia."
"Lord knows, I hope she wan't like Tempest," said Uncle Joshua, at the
same time relieving his mouth of its overflowing contents.
"I do not know whether she were or not," answered Mr. Middleton, "I only
know that Inez seemed too beautiful, too gentle, for one to suspect that
treachery lurked beneath the soft glance of her dark eyes. I know not why
it was, but Castello, from the first seemed to entertain for me a strong
friendship, and at last I fully believe the affection he felt for me was
second only to what he felt for his daughter. But he could not remain with
us, and in eighteen months after I first knew him, he took one of the
fevers common to that sultry climate, and in the course of a few days he
was dead. I wrote to you of his death, but I did not tell you that he had
left a will, in which all his immense wealth was equally divided between
myself and Inez. He did not express his desire that we should marry, but I
understood it so, and thenceforth looked upon Inez as belonging
exclusively to myself."
"You didn't marry her, though, I take it," said Joshua, making a thrust at
an enormous mosquito, which had unceremoniously alighted upon his brawny
foot.
"No," answered William, "I did not marry her, but 'twas not my fault. She
played me false. Six months after her father's death we were to be
married. The evening previous to our wedding arrived. I was perfectly
happy, but Inez seemed low-spirited, and when I inquired the cause she
answered, 'Nothing, except a little nervous excitement.' I readily
believed her; but when the morning came the cause of her low spirits was
explained. The bird had flown, with a young Englishman, Sir Arthur
Effingham, who had been a frequent guest at my house."