Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1894-06-01
SHE:.
A History Of Adventure.
[By H. RIDER HACCARD.1
IL.
THE YEARS ROLL BY.

particular about inquests in those DAYS as
they are now: indeed. they were generally
disliked, as causing scandal. Under "a II
these circumstances, as | was asked no
question. | did not feel called upon to vol
unteer any Information about our interview
OF the night of Nincey's decease. beyond
saying that he had come into my rooms TO
see me rs he often did On the day of the
funeral lawyer came down from London
and followed my poor friends remains to
the grave, and then went back with his
papers and effects, excepting of course,
the iron chest which had been left in my
keeping. For week after this heard no
moresof the matter. and. indeed, my atten-
ton was amply occupied in other ways,
for / was up for my Fellowship. fact
that had prevented me from attending the
funeral, or seeing the lawner At last,
however the examination was over, and
came back 10 my rooms and sunk into an
easy chair with happy consciousness that
had got through 1t very fairly. Soon.
however, my thoughts, relieved of the
pressure that had crushed them into a sim
gle groove during the last few days, turned
to the events of the night Of poor Vincey's
DEATH and again | asked myself what il
all meant and wondered il | should hear
anything more of the matter, and, If | did
l
the curious iron chest | sat he e, and
thought and thought till ! begGn u grow
quite disturbed over the whole occurrence;
the mysterious midnight visit the proph-
ecy of death so shortly TO be fulfilled. the
solemn oath that | had taken, and which
he had called on me To answer for in an
other world to this Had the man com.
mitted suicide? 1t looked Ike it, And
what was the quest Of which he spoke
The. circumstances were almost uncanny.
so much so that, though am by no means
nervous, or apt TO be alarmed at anything
that may seem to cross the bounds of the
natural, grew afraid, and began TO wish
had had nothing to do with it. How much
more do | wish II now, over twenty years
afterward!
As sat and thought theirs was a knock
at the door, and n letter in big blue en-
velope was brought in TO me. saw at n
glance that il was a lawyers letter, and an
instinct told me that il was connected with
my trust The letter, which | stlll have,
runs thus:
"SIR Our client, the late NJ l.. Vincey.
ESQ who died on the 9th instant in -
College, Cambridge. has left behind him
will of which you will please find copy
inclosed. and of which we are the eXecu
tors. BY this will you will perceive that
you take lfe-interest in about half of the
late Mr.. Vinceys property, now invested
in Consols, subject TO your acceptance of
the guardianship of his only son, Leo Vim
cey at present an infant, aged five Had
we not ourselves drawn up the document
in question in obedience to Mr. Nincey's
clear and precise Instructions both per
sonal and written, and had he not then
hot ha haH unnH
for what he was doing we are bound to
tell you that its provisions seem to US of
so unusual nature that we should have
felt bound 10 call the attention of the Court
of ChapCery TO them in order that such
steps might be taken as seemed desirable
to it, either by contesting the capacity OF
the testator or otherwise, 10 safeguard the
interests of the infant. AS it is, knowing
that the testator was gentleman of the
highest intelligence and acumen, and that
he has absolutely no relations living to
whom he could have confded the guar
dianship of the child, we do not feel justi
fed in taking this course
Awaiting such instructions as you
please TO send us as regards the delivery Of
the infant and the payment Of the proper
ton of the dividends due to you, we re
main, sir, faithfully yours,
UEOfFhbl O JOhDAN
AS this letter added nothing material TO
my knowledge, and certainly raised no
further objection in my mind to undertake
ing the task | had promised my dead friend
TO undertake, there was only one course
open to me, namely, TO write TO Messrs.
Godfrey & Jordan, and express my readi-
ness 10 enter on the trust, stating that
should be willing 10 undertake the charge
81 1,I - Iox 1Ss,n
proceeded 10 the authorities of my college,
and having told them as much Of the
story as | considered desirable, which was
not very much, after considerable difficulty
succeeded in persuading tn EN- TO stretch a
point, aud, in the event Of my having oh.
tanned Fellowship, which | was pretty
certain | had done, allow me TO have the
child TO live with me. Their consent,
however, was only granted on the con
dition that vacate my rooms in college,
and take lodgings. This did, and with
difficulty succeeded in obtaining very good
apartments quite close to the college gates
The next thing was 10 find a nurse. And
on this point came 10 a determination. |
would have no woman TO lord IL over me
about the child, aud steal his affections
from me. The boy was old enough to do
without female assistance, so | set to work
to hunt up suitable male attendant. With
some difficulty 1 succeeded in hiring a
most respectable round faced young man.
who had been helper in hunting stable.
but who said that he was one Of family
of seventeen and well accu stomed TO the
ways Of children, and professed himself
quite willing 10 undertake the charge OF
Master Leo when he arrived. Then, hav-
ing taken the iron box TO town, and with
my own hands deposited it at my bankers
| bought some books upon the health and
management Of children and read them,
first to myself, and then aloud to job
that was the young mans name-and
waited.
In very little while for, as expected,
got my Fellowship the boy became the
favorite of the whole college-where, all
orders and regulations to the contrary not
withstanding, he was continually in and
out--a sort of chartered libcrtlne, in whose
favor all rules were relaxed. The offer.
4 ings made at his shrine were simply with
n n. a, ct,