She had one child, a son, Arthur Tressalia, and father of the Paul Tressalia of our story.
Arthur Tressalia died when his son Paul was only three years of age, and his grandmother, the marquis’ sister, two years afterward.
The old marquis’ will, before referred to, had entailed his estates in a very peculiar and rather perplexing way.
They were to descend to the eldest legitimate child of each generation, be it son or daughter.
In case it should be a daughter, it was stated that, upon her marriage, her husband would be obliged to assume the family name, and so perpetuate the race.
In case the eldest child died without issue, or gave birth to an illegitimate child, the entail would be cut off from that branch of the family and revert in the same way to the eldest child.
For instance, if the present Marquis of Wycliffe died without legitimate issue, the estates, title, and name would descend to his sister, Mrs. Tressalia, and her legitimate heirs, according to the provisions of the will.
In the event of an utter failure of legitimate issue, the estates would fall to the crown, and the personal property to the enrichment of several public charitable institutions mentioned in the will.
The Marquis of Wycliffe, at the time we speak of in the beginning of the chapter, had one child, a daughter, sixteen years of age.
He had not married until long after his sister, having been disappointed by a heartless coquette when quite a young man, before coming into his property, and for many years he could not endure the thought of marriage. But he had at length wedded a gentle, lovable girl of good family, and she had given birth to this little daughter, and no more children were granted them.