Miss Merivale remembered with a sharp pang how Lydia had written of her
dark-eyed girl. She spoke of her sister, after a moment or two.
"It has struck me that your father might have been related to her second
husband," she said. She had determined after leaving Acacia Road to
mention this as possible both to Rhoda and to Tom and Rose.
Many people knew that Lydia had been Mrs. Sampson when she died, though
Miss Merivale believed that she herself was the only person who was aware
that her child had been named Rhoda.
But she soon found that Rhoda knew very little of her father. She had
lived so long with the M'Alisters that she had come to identify herself
with them, and had never desired to learn more of her own people. She
could scarcely remember her father, and could not remember his Christian
name. "J. Sampson is written in my little Bible," she said. "It is the
only book I have which belonged to him. Our house was burnt down when I
was about two years old, and all his books and papers were burnt with it.
Uncle Tom and Mr. Harding used to call him Jack, I have heard Aunt Mary
say."
"Who was Mr. Harding?" asked Miss Merivale quickly.
"He was father's partner for a little while. I don't remember him at all.
He is a rich man now, and lives in Adelaide."
"Your father came from Adelaide, Mrs.
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