"Matters went on in pretty much the usual way. The old Earl got older, of
course, and his temper got worse. Mr. Marcherson assured me that he was
never known to mention his missing son--to anybody. And in the end,
perhaps about fifteen years after Lord Marketstoke had gone away, he
died. And then there was no end of trouble and bother. The Earl had left
no will; at any rate, no will could be found, and no lawyer could be
heard of who had ever made one. And of course, nobody knew where the new
Earl was, nor even if he was alive or dead. There were advertisements
sent out all over the world--Mr. Marcherson told me that they were
translated into I don't know how many foreign languages and published in
every quarter of the globe--asking for news of him and stating that his
father was dead. That was done for some time."
"With no result?" asked Mr. Pawle.
"No result whatever, sir--I understand that the family solicitors never
had one single reply," answered Mrs. Summers. "I understand, too, that
for some time before the old Earl's death they'd been trying to trace
Lord Marketstoke from his last known movements.
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