“You shall have it; but first read this to me.  I do nothing blindly.”

The attorney, in his silky tones, read the paper through, and Jaspar pronounced it correct in every particular.

“I see nothing in the way of entire success,” said Jaspar, rubbing his hands with delight at his prospective fortune.

“Nor I,” replied De Guy, “except that these witnesses will deny the substance of it.”

“How can they, when they know it not?  The colonel, for some reason or other, would not let them read it or know its purport.  Maxwell and myself are pledged to secrecy.  It is upon this fact that I based the scheme.”

“But the will would not be worth a tittle in the law with such witnesses.”

“Bah! the colonel knew no one would contest it.  He did it at his own risk.”

“But will they not contest your will?”

“If they do, I shall find the means of proving what the document affirms, and my case will then stand just as well.  As a kind of assurance for the witnesses my brother affixed a character,—­a kind of cabalistic design,—­upon the will, assuring them it was placed on the will alone.  You have a copy of this design?”

“I have.  Maxwell gave it to me, and I have practised till I can do it to perfection.  Your brother had an odd way of doing business.”

“He had; but his oddity in this instance is a God-send.”

“But the other document, Mr. Dumont!  My stay is already too long!”

Jaspar, taking the keys from the table, opened the secretary, and took from a small iron safe in the lower part of it a large packet, on which were several large masses of wax bearing the impress of Colonel Dumont’s seal.

“Now, De Guy,” said he, “do your best.”

“Do not fear!  I never yet saw a name I could not imitate.”

“So much the better; but be careful, I entreat you!  Think how much depends upon care!”

“O, I can do it so nicely that your brother himself would not deny it, if he should step out of his grave!”

“Silence, man!” said Jaspar, angrily, as a superstitious thrill of terror crept through his veins.

Jaspar took up the packet, and was about to snap the seals, when, quicker than thought, the window through which De Guy had entered flew open, and Hatchie leaped into the room.  Without giving Jaspar or his accomplice time to recover from the surprise of his sudden entrance, he levelled a blow at the lawyer, and another at the perfidious brother, which placed both in a rather awkward position on the floor.  Hatchie then seized the envelope containing the will, and made his escape in the manner he had entered, well knowing that Jaspar would not hesitate to take his life rather than be foiled in his purpose.

[Illustration:  Hatchie knocking down De Guy and Jasper, and stealing the will.  Page 46.]