| It was the belief of those who knew him best, that he would positively have taken the very singular step of giving up the House of Seven Gables to the representative of Matthew Maule, but for the unspeakable tumult which a suspicious of the old gentleman's project awakened among his Pyncheon relatives. Their exertions had the effect of suspending his purpose; but it was feared that he would perform, after death, by the operation of his last will, what he had so hardly been prevented from doing in his proper lifetime. But there is no one thing which men so rarely do, whatever the provocation or inducement, as to bequeath patrimonial property away from their own blood. They may love other individuals far better than their relatives-they may even cherish dislike or positive hatred to the latter; but yet, in view of death, the strong prejudice of propinquity revives, and impels the testator to send down his estate in the line marked out by custom so immemorial that it looks like nature. In all the Pyncheons, this feeling had the energy of disease. It was too powerful for the conscientious scruples of the old bachelor; at whose death, accordingly, the mansion-house, together with most of his other riches, passed into the possession of his next legal representative. | Жилище покойного вместе с большей частью других богатств досталось в наследство ближайшему законному родственнику. |
| This was a nephew, the cousin of the miserable young man who had been convicted of the uncle's murder. | Это был племянник, кузен молодого человека, обвиненного в убийстве дяди. |
| The new heir, up to the period of his accession, was reckoned rather a dissipated youth but had at once reformed, and made himself an exceedingly respectable member of society. | Новый наследник до самого вступления во владение имением слыл большим повесой, но теперь исправился и стал достойным членом общества. |
| In fact, he showed more of the Pyncheon quality, and had won higher eminence in the world than any of his race, since the time of the original Puritan. | Действительно, он обнаружил в себе многие качества полковника Пинчона и достиг большей значимости в свете, чем кто-либо из его рода со времен старого пуританина. |
| Applying himself in earlier manhood to the study of the law, and having a natural tendency towards office, he had attained, many years ago, to a judicial situation in some inferior court, which gave him for life the very desirable and imposing title of judge. |