The Batesburg advocate. [volume] (Batesburg, S.C.) 1901-1911, 1904-05-05

was seated I'm his study writing n long
letter to Smerdon explaining exactly
what he had ROW taken the determi.
nation OF doing. the footman entered
with two cards on which were the
names OF "Mfr. Fordyce. Paper Build
ings.' and MIR. \. Stuart"
THE gentlemen wish To know II
your lordship can receive themY" the
man asked.
Yes" Penlyn answered" / have
been expecting Il visit from them.
Show them in
They cane in together. Mr.. Fordyce
iEtrodu ing himself as the solicitor
OF the late Mr.. Cundall. and MIR. STU
art bowing graveiy. Then Lord Pen
lyn motioned to them both to be
sc: ted
Il received your letter last night"
he said to the secretary, and. al
though l may tell you at once that
there We're, perhaps. reasons why Mr..
Cundall should have left me his prop
erty, was still considerably aston
i5hed at hearing he had done So"
Reasons. my lord" Mr.. Fordyce
said, looking up from bundle Of pa.
pers which he had tIken from his
pocket and was beginning to unite.
ReaSons! What reasons, may | ask?"
The lawyer, who from his accent
was evidently a Scotchman, was an
elderly man. with hard, unsympathe-
tic face, and it became instantly ap-
In pnnlUn hat
there must not be the slightest hesita-
ton on his part in anything he said,
Eor must anything but the plainest
truth be spoken. Well. that was what
he had made up his mind should be
done, and he was glad as he watched
Mr.. Fordyce's face that he had so de.
cided.
The reason" he answered, looking
straight ut both of them, Is that he
and were brothers.
"Brothersr' they both exclaimed to-
gether. while Stuart fixed his eyes
upon him with an incredulous look.
though in it there was something else
besides incredulity, look OF sus-
picion and dislike.
This is strange story, Lord Pen
lyn. the lawyer said after a moment.
Yes" the other answered. And
you will perhaps think it still more
strange when | tell you that | myself
did not know of it until week ago"
"Not until week ago. Stuart said
Then you could have learnt of your
relationship only two or three days
before he was murdered?"
THAT is the case" penlyn said.
II think. Lord Penlyn," Mr.. For.
dyce said, that, as th>. late Mr., Cum
dalrs solicitor, and the person who
will. by his will, have a great deal to
do with the administration of his for
tune, you should give me some par.
ticulars as to the relationship that
you say he and you stood in TO one
another"
IF Lord Penlyn intends to do so.
and wishes it, l will leave the house"
Stuart said, still speaking in a cold.
unsympathetic voice.
by no means" Peniyn said. "It
will be best that you both should hear
all that ] know"
Then he told them, very faithfully.
everything that had passed between
him and Walter Cundaii, from the
might on ttc had-come r., Rhzze,s,s
Club, and they had had theif first I'm.
terview in the park, down to the letter
that had been written on the night OF
the murder. Nor did he omit to tell
them 1t was only month previous to
Cundalfs disclosing himself, that he
and Philip Smerdon had made the
strange discovery at lie Nocq that his
father, 70 81! appearances, had had u
previous wife, and had, also, to all
appearances left an elder son behind
him. Only, he said, it had seemed a
certainty 10 him and his friend that
the lady was not actually his wife
and that the child was not his lawful
son. If there was anything he did not
think ii necessary 10 tell them it was
the violence of his behavior TO Cundall
al the interview they had had in that
very room, and the curse he had hurl-
ed after him when he was gone. and
the wish, which had been fulfilled so
terribly soon after their expression,
had weighed heavily on his heart ever
since the night of the murder; he could
not repeat it now TO these men.
ut is the strangest story | ever
heard" MIR. Fordyce said. The very
strangest! And. as we have found 40
certificates of either his mothers mar
rage or his own birth. we must con-
Continued TO tortn Pas'