The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1903-05-01

fail. think. to agree with me that il
We shall see how my proposals were
met on the husbands side.
At the time when Miss Halcombe's :
letter reached me. / was even more bus
| lily occupied than usual.
But / contrived to make leisure for the
! settlement / had drawn IL, and had sent
/ IL for approval to Sir Perciyal's 8 solicitor,
/ In lees than a week from the time when
! Miss Halcombe had informed me OF the
! proposed marriage.
After a lapse of two days. the document
/ was returned to me. with notes and re-
| marks or the baronets lawyer His OBJ
| tections, I'm general. proved to be Of the
most trifling and technical kind, until he
came to the clause relating to the twenty
thousand pounds, Against this there were
double lines drawn in red ink, and the
following note was appended to them:
Not admissible. The principal to go to
Sir Percival Clyde. in the event OF his
surviving Lady Clyde. and there being no
issue"
That is to say. not one farthing of the
twenty thousand pounds was TO go 20
Miss Halcombe, or to any other. relative
or friend OF Lady Glyde's. The whole
sum- II she left no children. was TO slip
into the pockets OF her husband.
The answer / wrote TO this audeciou
proposal was as short ard sharp as
could make IT. MY dear sir. Miss Fair
lies settlement. l maintain the clause to
which you object, exactly as IL stands.
Yours truly The rejoinder camc back in
a quarter OF an hour. My dear sir. Miss
Fairlie's settlement. ! maintain the red
ink 10 which you object, exactly as 1T
stands. Yours truly" In the detestable
slang Of the day, we were now both "st
a deadlock" and nothing was left for II
but to refer 10 our clients on either side.
As matters stood, my client-Mlss Fair
lie not having yet completed her twenty
first year-was her guardian. Mr. Fred
erick Fairlie. ] wrote by that days post
and put the case before him exactly as It
stood; not only urging every argument
could think Of to induce him to maintain
the clause az I had drawn IL, but stating
10 him plainly the mercenary motive
which was at the bottom OF the opposi-
ton to my settlement OF the twenty
thousand pounds. The knowledge OF sir
Percivals affairs which had necessarily
gained when the provisions OF the deed
on his side were submitted In due course
TO my examination. had but too plainly
Informed me that the debts on his estate
were enormous. and that his income.
though nominally a large one. was vir-
tually. for n man m his position. next 10
nothing. The want OF ready money was
the practical necessity OF Sir Percival's s
existence; and his lawyers note on the
clause In the settlement was nothing but
the frankly selfish expression OF IL.
Mr. Fairli~s- answer reached me by re-
! turn OF post, and proved 10 be wandering
and irrelevant I'm the extreme. Turned in
to plain English. II practically expressed
itself TO this effect: Would dear Gilmore
be so very obliging as not 10 worry his
| friend and client about such a trifie as a
remote contingency Was IL likely that
| young woman OF twenty-one would die be-
/ fore a man OF 45, and die without chill
\ dren on the other hand. in such n mis-
erable world as this was 81 possible to
| overestlmate the value OF peace and quiet
/ ness? II those two heavenly blessings
were offered I'm exchange for such an
4 earthly trie as n remote chance OF twen-
\ ~ thousand pounds. was IL not fair
bargain? Surely. yes. Then why not
/ make IT.
| / threw the letter away in disgust. Just
/ as Il had huttered TO the ground, there
was n knock AZ my door and Sir Perci-
| vals solicitor Mr. Merriman. was shown
| In. There are many varieties OF sharp
practitioners In this world. but. I think
the hardest OF alll TO deal with are the
men who overreach you under the dis
| guise OF inveterate Good-humor. fat,
well.fed. smiling. friendly man OF bust
ness Is OF all parties to bargain the
most hopeless TO deal with. Mr. Merrl-
| man wzs-unr- of -tirtr rfpsv
And how IL good Mr.. Gllmore7" he be-
gan. In a glow with the warmth OF his
| own emlabilty. Glad to see you sir.
| IN such excellent health. I was passing
l your door: and thought would look In,
In case you might have something 20 say
10 me Do-now pray do lct us settle this
| little difference of ours by word OF mouth.
n We can Have Won heard from your
I client yet?"
yes Wave You heard from vours'"
NV dear good sir wish had heard