The funeral was over. Everything had been done decently and in order, and in the great drawing-room at Stanbrook, the shutters1 of which of late years had been rarely opened, a small company were assembled, by invitation of Mr. Piljoy, to hear the reading of the dead man's will.
Miss Baynard and Mrs. Budd sat together on one of the couches; a little way removed, in stately isolation2, sat Mrs. Bullivant; while Mrs. Dace, the housekeeper3, remained modestly in the background, with Andry Luce and two or three other old servants to keep her company.
The gentlemen comprised Mr. Herries, the vicar; Mr. Delafosse, Sir James Dalrymple, of Langrig, and Squire4 Staniforth, of Claypool; the two latter of whom, at Mr. Cortelyon's request, had agreed to act as trustees under his will. They were clear-headed, thoroughly6 practical men, with plenty of leisure on their hands, and, as such, had recommended themselves to the late Squire, who was their senior by more than a score years, and had known their fathers before them.
Mr. Piljoy sat by himself at the big oval table in the centre of the room. The will, as yet unopened, lay there in front of him.
When everybody had settled into their places and the door was finally shut, Mr. Piljoy cleared his voice, and, leaning forward a little with his clasped hands resting on the table, said, addressing the company at large: "Before breaking the seal of the document which I am here for the purpose of reading to you, I may just remark for the information of everybody, and in order to satisfy any curiosity which might otherwise be felt on the point, that this is not the first testament7 drawn8 up by me for the late Mr. Cortelyon. There was a much earlier will, the provisions of which, I need scarcely tell you, were of a widely different nature from those of the present one; but that will was destroyed at the time of the unhappy quarrel between father and son, of which, I daresay, most of those here have some cognizance. For the next few years no will of any kind was in existence, nor could Mr. Cortelyon be persuaded into making another till he found himself overtaken by illness of a very serious kind. I will now, with your permission, proceed to open and read the will."
Sir James tapped his snuff-box, opened it, offered it to his co-trustee, and then indulged himself with a large pinch. The servants in the background laid their heads together and whispered among themselves. Mrs. Bullivant tried to look as if the reading was a matter which in no way concerned her, and almost succeeded. Miss Baynard and Andry Luce alone knew what was coming. To the former the whole proceeding9 was fraught10 with heartfelt torture, from which she would fain have escaped had there been any way open for her to do so.
The will itself was enclosed in a sheet of parchment secured with two large black seals. These latter Mr. Piljoy did not break, but cut round them with his penknife and got at the contents that way. Pushing the envelope aside, he proceeded to unfold and straighten out the will; then, having settled his spectacles more firmly astride his nose, he gave a preliminary cough and turned over the first page.
Apparently11, however, he had forgotten to how many pages the document extended, and in order to satisfy himself on the point, before beginning to read he turned the leaves over one by one--there were only five or six in all--till he came to the last one, on reaching which his eye instinctively12 travelled to the foot of it.
Next instant he gave a start and sprang to his feet, his eyes still glued to the bottom of the will. He looked dazed--thunderstruck--and well he might.
"What is the meaning of this?" he cried. "What devilry has been at work? The will is unsigned!"
And so, indeed, it proved to be. There was the space for the three signatures, those of the testator and the two witnesses, but the signatures themselves were wanting.
Over the scene that ensued we need not linger. The servants were told that they were no longer wanted, and went back to their duties terribly crestfallen13. The legacies14 on which they had so surely counted seemed to have dissolved on a sudden into thin air.
For the first few minutes after the fatal announcement Mrs. Bullivant sat like an image of stony15 despair. So stunned16 was she that, for the time being, she seemed deprived of the power of coherent thought. She was roused, in part at least, by some words addressed by Sir James Dalrymple to Mr. Piljoy.
"Of course the will as it stands is wholly inoperative, still, Mr. Staniforth and I are a little curious with regard to its contents, so perhaps you won't mind devoting a minute or two to our enlightenment. There is no need for you to read out the different clauses; all we want is to be made acquainted with the main features of the document."
"Five minutes will suffice for that purpose," replied the lawyer. "To begin with, there are some half-dozen bequests17, varying in amount, to as many old servants and dependents, with the details of which I need not trouble you. To the testator's old friend, Mr. Delafosse"--bowing to that gentleman--"are bequeathed sundry18 coins, medals, and other curios, a list of which will be found among the private papers of the deceased. Then I must not omit to mention that to each of you gentlemen, for your trouble in acting19 as trustees, is left the sum of one hundred and fifty guineas; and to Mr. Herries a similar sum for distribution among the deserving poor of the parish. With regard to his niece, Miss Baynard"--here he favored Nell with a bow--"the testator's instructions are that a sum of money be invested in her name in the public funds sufficient to bring her in an annual income of three hundred pounds, the which she shall enjoy for life, the principal at her demise20 to be divided among certain specified21 charitable institutions. To the Hon. Mrs. Bullivant"--a bow for that lady--"is left the sum of three thousand pounds in hard cash. Every thing else of which the testator may die possessed--including the Stanbrook and Barrowmead properties, another large estate on the borders of Yorkshire, and certain other smaller estates--is willed in trust to Gavin Bullivant, the son of the Hon. Mrs. Bullivant, on condition that on coming of age he adds to his present cognomen22 that of 'Cortelyon.' Finally, I may mention that as regards the Stanbrook property Mrs. Bullivant is bequeathed a life-interest in the same."
He ceased, and Sir James and his friend stared at each other in sheer amazement23, but in Mrs. Bullivant's presence they could not well give expression to what they thought. Mr. Staniforth was the first to break the silence.
"Both Sir James and I were under the impression that the late Mr. Cortelyon had a grandson. His only son died some few years ago, did he not, leaving behind him a widow and one child?"
"He did."
"And yet in your summary of the contents of the will you made no mention of either of their names."
"The widow died some time ago. There was no mention of the boy's name on my part for the very good reason that it is not included in the will. Mr. Cortelyon never forgave his son's marriage, and refused in any way to acknowledge his grandchild."
Again the two men looked at each other, and again they refrained from giving expression to the thoughts at work within them.
Then said Sir James: "An unsigned will is so much waste paper. In case no other will, duly executed, should turn up, what will happen?"
"Only one thing can happen. The case will resolve itself into one of intestacy, and everything--lock, stock, and barrel--will go to the heir-at-law, that is to say, to the grandson of whom mention has just been made."
The two gentlemen nodded. That was their own view exactly.
Miss Baynard had sat all this time without speaking or stirring. When Mr. Piljoy made the startling announcement that the will was without signature, she flashed a look at Andry Luce which seemed to ask in bewilderment, "What is the meaning of this?" But Andry, nursing his chin in the palm of one hand, was apparently staring straight before him, and did not, or would not, meet her eyes. When, however, Mrs. Dace and the others proceeded to leave the room, Andry, who was about to follow them, glanced at Nell, and, in obedience24 to a signal from her, resumed his seat.
Nell as was dumfounded as Mrs. Bullivant by the turn events had taken. She had not clearly comprehended what the result would be of the will being unsigned till she heard Mr. Piljoy's declaration that, in the event of no other will being found, everything would go to Evan as his grandfather's heir-at-law. Then a great gladness took possession of her, and her heart swelled25 with thankfulness.
But of a sudden, a shiver of apprehension26 ran through her. Mr. Staniforth was speaking:
"Have you any reason whatever, Mr. Piljoy, for supposing that any other will than this unsigned one is in existence?"
Not Miss Baynard only, but Mrs. Bullivant as well, awaited the lawyer's answer with strained breathlessness.
Mr. Piljoy shrugged27 his shoulders. "That, sir, is a question which just now I am hardly prepared to answer, and for this reason, that no one can be more mystified and puzzled by the turn affairs have taken this afternoon than I am. One supposition, and one only, suggests itself to me as tending in the slightest degree to elucidate28 the mystery. What that supposition is I will, with your permission, now proceed to explain."
He lay back in the big library chair, cleared his voice, and toyed with his spectacles for a few seconds before proceeding.
"In accordance with Mr. Cortelyon's instructions, his will was drawn up by me in duplicate. This was done as a provision of safety; in the event of any hitch29 or blunder occurring in the signing or witnessing of one document, the other would be available. Gout having laid me by the heels, I gave the duplicate wills into the charge of Mr. Tew, my managing clerk, who was just as competent to see to the signing and witnessing as I was. Here before me is the will which he next day brought back and handed to me for safe custody30 in the belief that it had been duly signed and witnessed; and here is the envelope that held it, sealed in two places with Mr. Cortelyon's own seal, and with the words, 'Ambrose Cortelyon--His Will' written across the face of it with his own pen. Now, on consideration, it seems to me just possible that, through some mischance, the unsigned will got substituted for the signed one in the envelope. If my supposition has any basis of fact, the question that naturally follows is, What became of the duplicate will? Is there any one present, who is in a position to throw any light on the point involved?"
Whether consciously or unconsciously, as he asked the question his eyes fixed31 themselves on Miss Baynard. The eyes of every one there followed those of Mr. Piljoy.
Nell stood up, her cheeks warmed with the fine glow of color. "My uncle's secretary, Andry Luce, who is now present, was, I believe, in the room when the will was signed."
"Then he will doubtless be willing to answer to the best of his ability any questions we may think well to put to him?"
Turning to Andry, Nell said, "You are quite willing to answer any questions Mr. Piljoy or these other gentlemen may ask you, are you not?"
The reply was two vigorous nods in the affirmative.
Turning to Sir James and his friend, Nell said, "Unfortunately, Andry is dumb, and has been so from his youth, so that I shall have to translate his answers for you."
"Come a bit more to the front, Andry, there's a good fellow," said Mr. Piljoy, who knew him of old. Then he seemed to consider for a few seconds while Andry changed his seat.
"You were in the room when the will was signed?" was the lawyer's first question.
With a look at Nell, his quick-moving fingers spelled out the answer, "I was," which was repeated aloud by her; and the same process had to be gone through in the case of all his answers.
"What persons were in the room at the time besides yourself and the testator?"
"Mr. Tew, and the two witnesses--Peter Grice, the groom32, and Mike Denny, the under-gardener."
"Were you aware that Mr. Tew had brought two wills with him?"
"I was, I saw both of them."
"On entering the room what did he do with them?"
"He gave them both to the Squire."
"And what happened next?"
"The Squire thrust one of them under his pillow, and gave the other back to Mr. Tew for him to read it aloud."
"And what happened when the reading had come to an end?"
"The bell rang for me--I had been ordered out of the room while the reading took place--and, on entering, Mr. Tew told me that the Squire was ready for the witnesses, whom I had been careful to have close at hand, so that there should be no delay."
"Proceed."
"The witnesses were brought into the room and placed where they could see all that went forward. Pen and ink were in readiness. I raised the Squire in bed--he was too weak to sit up without help--and supported him with an arm round his waist. Mr. Tew placed the will in front of him, gave him the pen, pointed33 out the place for him, and with that Mr. Cortelyon slowly and carefully signed his name. Then Mr. Tew took the will to the table and caused Grice and Denny to sign it one after the other. When that was done the two men were dismissed."
"Yes, and after that?"
"Following the men into the corridor, by the Squire's orders I made each of them a present of a crown piece. That done, I at once went back to the room. Mr. Tew was standing34 by the table with the folded will in his hand. 'Seal it up,' said my master to me. Mr. Tew having handed to it to me, I at once proceeded to enclose it in the sheet of parchment, out of which it was taken by Mr. Piljoy a little while since, sealing the packet in two places with my master's own seal. Then I held him up again, and with a trembling hand he wrote on the envelope, 'Ambrose Cortelyon--His Will.' That done, the packet was given into the custody of Mr. Tew, and the business was at an end."
"Not quite, Andry, not quite--at least as far as we are concerned. You are forgetting the duplicate will. What became of that?"
"Mr. Tew had not been five minutes gone before my master drew the other will from under his pillow, and, giving it to me, said, 'Burn it now--at once.' There was a fire in the room, and, taking the will, I thrust it between the bars. Mr. Cortelyon never took his eyes off the grate till it was burnt to ashes."
"You have no reason whatever for supposing that the unsigned will was substituted for the signed one during the time you were out of the room?"
"No, sir--how should I? Mr. Tew never left the room, and when I went back it was from his hands I received the will in order to seal it up."
Apparently Mr. Piljoy had no more questions to put. After a glance round at the perplexed35 faces of his audience, he said: "Notwithstanding the very clear and straightforward36 statement with which Andry Luce has just favored us, the mystery of the unsigned will remains37 exactly where it was before. We seem no nearer a solution of it than we were at first, and I confess myself wholly at a loss to advise as to what step, if any, it behoves us to take next. Never in the whole of my experience have I been confronted with a state of affairs so puzzling and inexplicable38."
"Never heard tell of owt like it, dang me if I have!" exclaimed Sir James, who had a habit of lapsing39 into the vernacular40 now and again.
"Licks cock-fighting all to bits, that it does," muttered Mr. Staniforth.
The Vicar and Mr. Delafosse spoke41 together in low tones.
So far Mrs. Bullivant had maintained an unbroken silence. Though more than once greatly tempted42 to do so, she had put a strong restraint upon herself, and had sat there with compressed lips listening to all that was said, passing through the whole gamut43 of feeling from hope to despair, and finally struck to the earth, almost, as it seemed, beyond recovery, by Mr. Piljoy's last words. There had been revealed to her a golden vision far exceeding her utmost dreams, but between her and it some malignant44 fiend had dug a shadowy gulf45 which he defied her to overpass46. She had been vouchsafed47 a glimpse of Paradise, only to have the gates of pearl slammed in her face. It was maddening. Her very soul was aflame with impotent rage. She was tortured almost beyond endurance by the knowledge of all she had lost; of all that had slipped through her fingers, as at the bidding of a necromancer48, before she had a chance of grasping it; of all that ought to have been hers, but was not!
She could no longer keep silent. "It is very evident to me," she began, addressing herself directly to the lawyer, "that my helpless boy and I have been made the victims of a vile49 conspiracy50. Whether you, sir, are in the secret of it or no I cannot say, but I give you warning that I shall lose no time in placing the affair in the hands of my solicitors51, and that even if it cost me every shilling I have in the world, this foul52 attempt to defraud53 me and mine shall be unmasked, and the concocters of it brought to the bar of justice."
She spoke with studied quietude and without any trace of passion, but her hearers felt that in those smooth accents there was a hidden venom54 far more dangerous than any mere55 outburst of feminine anger would have been.
"A vile conspiracy!" burst forth5 the irate56 lawyer. "I would have you know, madame, that----"
She stopped him with an imperious gesture. "I have said all I wish to say, and no empty protestations on your part will avail anything. Roguery has been at work and must be unmasked. It is enough that you know my intentions."
She had risen while speaking, and now, after the slightest possible bow to Sir James and the others, she moved with her proudest and most dignified57 air towards the door, which Andry hastened to open for her, and so went her way, to the great relief of everybody there.
"Well, that caps everything!" ejaculated Mr. Staniforth. "A sweet temper to live with, eh, Jimmy?"
"Ay, but think of all the woman has lost, and by a turn of fortune's wheel the like of which I never heard tell of. No wonder she's put about; in her place who wouldn't be? Not but what, mind you, I consider the will a most unjust one, and I can't say I'm anything but glad that things have turned out as they have."
Mr. Delafosse had sat through the proceedings58 as mum as a mouse. He had all a collector's selfishness, and although he told himself how glad he was that, despite his late friend's unjust will, the rightful heir would succeed to the property, he could not help being very sorrowful on his own account. Under the changed circumstances of the case not a coin, not a medal, not a curio of any kind would come to him; and there were so many things in his friend's collection which his soul coveted59! It was very, very sad, but there was no help for it.
When the others were gone Mr. Piljoy and Nell had a little confidential60 talk together.
"Never in the whole of my professional experience have I been so perplexed and mystified as by the events of this afternoon," said the lawyer. "I can't make head or tail of 'em, and that's a fact. Of course, when I get back I shall question Tew very closely about all that took place at the signing of the will, but I must say that I have very little hope of his being able to throw any fresh light on the affair. It's just as if we had all been made the victims of a conjurer's trick. Not but what, Miss Nell, I'm more than pleased at the way things have turned out, and I don't mind confessing to you that I was strongly opposed to the will as it stands, and went as far as I dared in the endeavor to persuade your uncle not to disinherit his grandson in toto. But you know the kind of man he was, how obstinate61, and how utterly62 opposed to any suggestions from others which ran counter to his own views; indeed, he would hardly listen to me, and ended by telling me with an oath to mind my own business. On one point only do I feel sorry. If no other will turns up, of which I fail to see any likelihood, you, my dear Miss Nell, will be left out in the cold, for in that case, as I have remarked already, the son of Richard Cortelyon becomes the sole heir and legatee."
"And do you think for one moment, Mr. Piljoy, that I am anything but rejoiced that such should be the case?" demanded Nell, with sparkling eyes. "If you do, you misjudge me strangely. Oh! it was a most unjust and unnatural63 will, and my uncle himself acknowledged it to be so, but not till too late. With his last breath he implored64 me to send for the will and destroy it. His last conscious words were, 'To my grandson--all; to that woman'--meaning Mrs. Bullivant, who was there by the bedside--'nothing.' Had he but lived a few hours longer, the will would have been destroyed in accordance with his wishes."
"I am very glad you have told me this, Miss Nell, very glad indeed. If one were superstitiously65 inclined, one would not find it hard to believe that it was the Squire's own hand which, by some means unknown to us, erased66 his signature from a document the existence of which, in the clear light which sometimes comes to people at the point of death, he saw reason to regret."
"Should I live to be a hundred, I shall look back to this day as one of the red-letter days of my existence," said Nell with fervor67. "No words could express to you how glad I am. But tell me, Mr. Piljoy, what is the next thing to be done?"
"My advice is that just at present we do nothing. Should it really prove to be Mrs. Bullivant's intention to contest the heir's claim--for one never can foretell68 what a desperate woman may or may not choose to do--I shall doubtless hear from her solicitors before long. Meanwhile, our best plan will be to rest quietly on our oars69."
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shutters
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| 百叶窗( shutter的名词复数 )； （照相机的）快门 | |
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isolation
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| n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离 | |
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housekeeper
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| n.管理家务的主妇，女管家 | |
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squire
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| n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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testament
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| n.遗嘱；证明 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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fraught
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| adj.充满…的，伴有(危险等)的；忧虑的 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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crestfallen
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| adj. 挫败的，失望的，沮丧的 | |
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legacies
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| n.遗产( legacy的名词复数 )；遗留之物；遗留问题；后遗症 | |
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stony
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| adj.石头的，多石头的，冷酷的，无情的 | |
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stunned
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| adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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bequests
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| n.遗赠( bequest的名词复数 )；遗产，遗赠物 | |
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sundry
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| adj.各式各样的，种种的 | |
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acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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demise
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| n.死亡；v.让渡，遗赠，转让 | |
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specified
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| adj.特定的 | |
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cognomen
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| n.姓；绰号 | |
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amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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obedience
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| n.服从，顺从 | |
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swelled
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| 增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
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apprehension
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shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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elucidate
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| v.阐明，说明 | |
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hitch
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| v.免费搭(车旅行)；系住；急提；n.故障；急拉 | |
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custody
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| n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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groom
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| vt.给（马、狗等）梳毛，照料，使...整洁 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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standing
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perplexed
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straightforward
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| adj.正直的，坦率的；易懂的，简单的 | |
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remains
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inexplicable
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| adj.无法解释的，难理解的 | |
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lapsing
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| v.退步( lapse的现在分词 )；陷入；倒退；丧失 | |
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vernacular
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| adj.地方的，用地方语写成的；n.白话；行话；本国语；动植物的俗名 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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gamut
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| n.全音阶，(一领域的)全部知识 | |
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malignant
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| adj.恶性的，致命的；恶意的，恶毒的 | |
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gulf
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| n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂 | |
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overpass
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| n.天桥，立交桥 | |
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vouchsafed
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| v.给予，赐予( vouchsafe的过去式和过去分词 )；允诺 | |
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necromancer
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| n. 巫师 | |
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vile
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| adj.卑鄙的，可耻的，邪恶的；坏透的 | |
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conspiracy
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| n.阴谋，密谋，共谋 | |
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solicitors
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| 初级律师( solicitor的名词复数 ) | |
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52
foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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defraud
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| vt.欺骗，欺诈 | |
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venom
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| n.毒液，恶毒，痛恨 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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irate
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| adj.发怒的，生气 | |
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dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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coveted
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| adj.令人垂涎的；垂涎的，梦寐以求的v.贪求，觊觎(covet的过去分词)；垂涎；贪图 | |
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confidential
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| adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的 | |
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obstinate
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| adj.顽固的，倔强的，不易屈服的，较难治愈的 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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unnatural
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| adj.不自然的；反常的 | |
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implored
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| 恳求或乞求（某人）( implore的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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superstitiously
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| 被邪教所支配 | |
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erased
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| v.擦掉( erase的过去式和过去分词 )；抹去；清除 | |
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fervor
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| n.热诚；热心；炽热 | |
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foretell
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| v.预言，预告，预示 | |
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oars
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| n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 ) | |
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