Litchfield enquirer., 1873-03-06
From the Every saturday.l sPRiMclMc A MINE.

through hs ofhce ewlndOWS-heavaiy barred to defeat the designs of the burglarious- l 8 small patch of enclosed land, rich in rank grass, and shaded, little as 1t needed shade, for the neighboring houses hemnaed it in on all sides, by an oid. .stunted, ,murky elm-tree. The land had originally per tained to a church that had long since vanished. Sometimes, after a ghostly- looking, solitary sheep, none knew from whence, or by whose authority, had been turned into the enclosure, and had crop 1 ped and munched away the long grass, faint outlines or recumbent tombstones 1 could be traced whitening here and there the vegetation. Within living memory no interment had taken place there and the inhabitants of the adjoining buildings took little heed of it now, except now and l then to turn it to account as 6 dust-bin, a receptacle for broken glass and crOckery, cinders, litter, refuse, and rubbish of all kinds. 7-ea 1 MT. Merdock's offices were on the ground i floor of rambling old house in one of the tortuous, confined thoroughfares of Walbrook. His private room was at the back of the building, and thus obtain ed its feeble sort of rural outlook. He was solicitor of sound repute, enjoying an excellent practice a tall, lean, elderly 1 man, with good features, worn very sharp i by time and hard work at his calling. His tall, bald forehead had the look of old parchment, or of discolored ivory i; his sallow face was deeply lined and very gaunt. Yet his aspect betrayed no sign of ill health or of premature decay. He was alert in movement; the fringe of hair at the back of his bald head was still dense black there were no threads of | ci1unw %hn ch %~sv a1 slapped whiskers he wore on his high cheek bones although his lips were col orless, his teeth were sound and white, and his gray eyes twinkled piercingly be- meath his heavy penthouse brows. He was, plainly, 8 wiry, spare man, who could still endure much wear and tear, and make good fight with time. Mir. Merdock sat at his desk-idly for the moment-glancing now at the green enclosure to be seen from his window, now at tin box, one of large pile of 1 similar tin boxes, ranged against the wall 1 opposite to him, now at the Times news paper, spread out before him. With 8 meditative air he was rubbing the palm of his large, yellow, bony hand against his l very blue chin, for his strong black beard opposed a stout resistance to thesTazor, let him ply it as consistently as he might. He paused to take noisily huge pinch of snuff, and then passed large scarlet and puce silk pocket handkerchief across his face. "Poor Delpratt p he said, with glance at the tin box. The legend THE DEL PRATT TRUST was inscribed upon it in dim gold letters. "Dead" He gazed from the window at the waving grass and the mufky elm of the graveyard without. sFour days ago !" He laid his hand upon the newspaper. It contained among it's advertisements of deaths the following brief notification =
 ''On the 20th of November, at the Man or House, Lupton, Hants, Eustace We're Delpratt, aged fifty-seven.
 MT. Merdock shook his head mournful- ly. sighed, and then shrugged his shoul- ders, making an effort, as it seemed, to, mind. Just then one of his clerks entered and handed him card. He started as he read the name it bore. After mo- ment's hesitation he said, "You must show him in. Booth. ?.
 A young man entered, dressed in deep mourning.
 ''Mr. Ernest Delpratt ?" Mir. Merdock was reading aloud the name on the card.
 "You have forgotten me. see, Mfr. Merdock. But it is not surprising. We have not met for some years. l know that I am much changed in appearance. I was a mere boy then. ''
 'Pray be seated"
 He was now perhaps about thirty; wearing a thick red-brown beard, and rather long hair falling negligently across his forehead. His natural pal1or was no doubt increased in effect by the black clothes he wore. But his complexion was of that deadly whiteness which knows little variation, and resists all influence of temperature, refusing to be bronzed by the sun, or reddened by exposure to the wind. It was late in the year, but the weather was unnaturally sultry. Still it had not brought any increase of color to his face; only the glisten of clamminess on the surface of his skin.
 "You are aware, of course, of the sad occurrence that has brought me here ?"
 sI have only just read in the Times of Mir. Delpratt's death." MT. Merdock's manner was reserved, even distant. "You knew him intimately ?"
 'T can scarcely say so much as that. I saw him frequently at one time. But of late years we seldom met. rarely quit London, he rarely visited it. Still I re- [ &6EuO0 'x4xU4 us ~ 1E1Cu0s AOs9A0 AAOAA4 him occasionally. He was kind enough always to address me in the most cordial terms. have learned of his death with extreme regret" @
 .But you were his professional adviser; you know more of his private affairs than any one else ?"
 ssThat may be so,' said Mfr. Merdock, coldly. "He executed will, in your presence, l some ten years ago?" ... 1 Mir. Merdock made no reply.
 1 '1 should explain" the young man went on, ''that as his sole surviving rela- l tive"-
 Pardon me- Merdoek interrupted, Illegally speaking. the late MT. Delpratt had no relatives"
 l "Perhaps so-but he always regarded and spoke of mo as his cousin, or rather as his first cousin once removed. there fore deemed it my duty to search for his will to ascertain if he had expressed in it any instructions in relation to his funeral. hope that you see nothing objectionable in that ?'' -r- ---- t | Mir. Msrdock merely bowed. He avoid ed any statement of opinion on the sub- ject a.-a s e55 l ''The will found contained no instruc- S4OAo OA euO A1uU E61SEIG0 E Wfbl1ST O1 it's terms need not speak just now es- pecially as the document having been drawn by you, you are already acquainted
 with its contents.
 'sThe only will of which know any
 thing" said Mir. Merdock, after min
 ute's deliberation, ''was executed by the
 testator in my presence some ten years
 ago. The will WITS engrossed in duplicate La course am in the habit of recom-
 mending in such cases-as 8 matter of prudence and precaution. One copy is
 now in my iron safe. The other, the tes-
 tator took into his own keeping. That is,
 I presume the document to which you
 have been referring"
 s'No doubt.
 'Let us be quite sure." said Mir. Mer-
 dock, still with his air of deliberation.
 He left the room. Presently he returned.
 "The will bore the date the 18th of March,