"You know my secret, now," said Aunt Milly, "or at least you can guess who was my mysterious correspondent. Here he stands, Mildred. And now, to make amends for my seeming want of trust, you shall write to your father and mother and tell them that I have taken their advice. I hope, for the future, only peace and goodwill may be known amongst us Denes."
[CHAPTER VII]
A PLEASANT ENDING
MY task was a very pleasant one. I had to tell my parents that Aunt Milly, acting on their advice, had made many inquiries respecting her late husband's nephews; and that all she had heard confirmed my father's account, especially of William, who, everybody said, was a kinsman to be proud of.
So then Aunt Milly had written to him, just in her own brave, frank way, alluding to past differences between the elder people only so far as was needful, and expressing her hope that they would agree with her in forgetting them, and beginning a new life of friendship.
When my father and mother heard this they were delighted.
"Time will do the rest," exclaimed papa. "All will work right now, and there will soon be no question about the inheritance of Denesfield. Aunt Milly will find a son in William Dene."
And so, in the end, it proved. William's mother and brothers also came to visit my aunt. The widowed mother had no longer to pinch and contrive for the education of her children, for Aunt Milly did nothing by halves. She at once made an ample provision for her sister-in-law and the younger boys, but "William," she said, "I must look after myself. He is so like what my dear husband was when I first knew him."
I think that year was one of the happiest I ever spent during my early life. Every day that William Dene was with us, we saw more and more of the truth and goodness of his character. By degrees, Aunt Milly learned to consult and trust him just as a mother does a beloved son. How proud, too, she was of his college honours! Indeed, I doubt whether his own mother, who was of a very quiet, placid disposition, thought as much of her son's well-won place as did Aunt Milly.
One day, during the long vacation, my aunt said to him, "William, when will your birthday be?"