The Argosy, Vol. 57

The Grey Monk This is Chapter IX of a serialized gothic novel by the author of *The Mysteries of Heron Dyke*. Ethel Thursby, a young woman raised by her aunts Miss Matilda and Miss Jane, learns on her nineteenth birthday from a letter left by her late Uncle Matthew that she is adopted—her supposed mother, Mrs. Vane, died aboard the ship *Pandora* years ago and was not her biological parent. Ethel's identity remains mysterious. After her initial distress, her aunts and their longtime servant Tamsin reassure her that nothing will change; she will remain their niece and Vale View her home. Tamsin, who witnessed events aboard the *Pandora*, confirms Mrs. Vane was not a lady and showed no maternal affection. The chapter ends with Ethel alone in the grounds, resolved to confess her secret to her lover.