“Not like her mother either, sir. Mrs. Catherick was dark, and full in the face.”
Not like her mother and not like her (supposed) father. I knew that the test by personal resemblance was not to be implicitly trusted, but, on the other hand, it was not to be altogether rejected on that account. Was it possible to strengthen the evidence by discovering any conclusive facts in relation to the lives of Mrs. Catherick and Sir Percival before they either of them appeared at Old Welmingham? When I asked my next questions I put them with this view.
“When Sir Percival first arrived in your neighbourhood,” I said, “did you hear where he had come from last?”
“No, sir. Some said from Blackwater Park, and some said from Scotland—but nobody knew.”
“Was Mrs. Catherick living in service at Varneck Hall immediately before her marriage?”
“Yes, sir.”
“And had she been long in her place?”
“Three or four years, sir; I am not quite certain which.”
“Did you ever hear the name of the gentleman to whom Varneck Hall belonged at that time?”
“Yes, sir. His name was Major Donthorne.”