Do not suppose that I was on the track of the truth at
that period. Far from it. I only desired more data and regarded the
history of Michael Pendean as being of doubtful value, since his
wife alone was responsible for the details. It seemed to me
absolutely necessary to learn more than she was prepared to tell. I
had questioned her, but found her either ignorant of much concerning
him--or else purposely evasive. Of her three uncles, only Robert had
ever seen Michael Pendean. Neither Bendigo nor dear Albert had set
eyes on him; and that fact, though of no significance at first, of
course, became very significant indeed at a later stage of my study.
"I went first to Penzance and devoted several days to learning all
possible particulars of the Pendean family. On examining Michael
Pendean's ancestry, as a preliminary to finding out everything
remembered of Pendean himself, I at once made a highly important
discovery. Joseph Pendean, Michael's father, was often in Italy on
his pilchard business for the firm, and he married an Italian woman.
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