But Purdie was thinking now as he made his way towards
Levendale's London house that he really knew very little of this man who
was evidently mixed up in some way with the mystery into which young Andie
Lauriston had so unfortunately also become intermingled. He knew that
Levendale was undoubtedly a very wealthy man: there were all the signs of
wealth about him; he had brought several servants down to the Highlands
with him: money appeared to be plentiful with him as pebbles are on a
beach. Purdie learnt bit by bit that Levendale had made a great fortune in
South Africa, that he had come home to England and gone into Parliament;
that he was a widower and the father of two little girls--he learnt, too,
that the children's governess, Miss Elsie Bennett, a pretty and taking
girl of twenty-two or three, had come with them from Cape Town. But of
Levendale's real character and self he knew no more than could be gained
from holiday acquaintance. Certain circumstances told him by Melky about
the rare book left in old Multenius's parlour inclined Purdie to be
somewhat suspicious that Levendale was concealing something which he knew
about that affair--and now here was Miss Bennett writing what, on the face
of it, looked like an appealing letter to him, as if something had
happened.
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