Not So Bad, After All

Perhaps there never was a romantic communication made to five more prosaic-looking people than the accredited agents of the societies.  Middle-aged and elderly men, who, if they ever took up a novel, skipped the love passages, and in all instances preferred to read newspapers.  They were very much bewildered at the purpose of their being called together.  They had thought there must have been a codicil found to the very strange will of which they had had a copy sent to their societies, as being, though in a very unlikely contigency, possibly interested, and that it was possible they were to receive a small sum in ESSE, instead of the large one in Posse.  But when Mr. MacFarlane produced no codicil, but read to them gravely Mrs. Peck’s confession instead, and paused at the conclusion, as if he expected them to express an opinion, they looked at each other for a few seconds, unwilling to commit themselves by initiating any remark whatever.  At last the boldest of the number observed that it was a strange story, which the others agreed to unanimously.

“Do you think it is true?” said Francis.

“Perhaps it is,” said the director of the Blind Asylum; “there is no saying.”

“Of course it does not at all invalidate Mr. Hogarth, my client’s right to the estate, moveable and heritable, of the late Hogarth, of Cross Hall,” said Mr. MacFarlane, “for you know that was left to him by will.”

“Of course not,” said the director of the Blind Asylum; “one can see that.”

“But what was the use of calling us all here,” said the representative of the Deaf and Dumb Asylum, “to tell us that Cross Hall left his property perhaps by a mistake?  Had he claimed as heir-of-entail or as heir-at-law the case would have been different; but it would have been our business to have found out that, or the next heir’s, and certainly not the present possessor’s.”

“You will observe,” said Francis, “that I hold the property under conditions—­one is, that I shall not marry either of my cousins.  If Jane Melville is not my cousin, marrying her, and restoring her to the property, which she has a better right to than I have—­should not invalidate my right by this will.”

“Oh, that is a very different affair,” said the Deaf and Dumb delgate.  “You want to marry Miss Melville, and to keep the estate too.”

“Yes, if I can legally.  I know that if Mr. Hogarth was alive at this day, and could see this confession, he would believe it, and he would no longer see any bar to my marriage with his niece.  If he could see how well and how bravely his nieces have battled with the world he would require no further trial of their fortitude or patience.”

“We would never think of disturbing you in possession of Cross Hall, so long as you fulfil the conditions of the will,” said the delegate from the Blind Asylum.

“Certainly, you need never think of it, for you cannot,” said MacFarlane.