"He has a son, I think; and I have heard that there is some unhappy dissension between them."
"Who could have told you that?" I asked in surprise, knowing how closely
Roland had kept the secret of his family afflictions.
"Oh! I heard so from some one who knew Captain Roland,—I forget when and where I heard it; but is it not the fact?"
"My uncle Roland has no son."
"How!"
"His son is dead."
"How such a loss must grieve him!"
I did not speak.
"But is he sure that his son is dead? What joy if he were mistaken,—if the son yet lived!"
"Nay, my uncle has a brave heart, and he is resigned. But, pardon me, have you heard anything of that son?"