Year: 1869

When the schoolmaster came to
old Richards bedroom with the will,
to have it signed and witnessed, Lucy
sat by her kind uncle's bedside, and,
to use the beautiful language Of Shak-
speare,


like the watchful minutes to the hour,


Still and anon cheered up the heavy time,


Saying, "What lack you~ and "Whore lies


your grief2"


Or, "What good love may Iperform for you"


Her mother also was in the room, en-
gagged in knitting what she hoped her
brother would yet live to wear, Neither
she nor Lucy knew of the commission
which Richard had given to the school
master; and when it was communicated
to them, they were moved to tears, part
ly of afectionate anxiety. ooh dear
uncle" sobbed Lucy, you will be
spared to us yet" "A little while,
perhaps, Luce darling" said the old
man calmly, but not long-not long
now. The blow has been given, and
the first high wind will bring down the
tree. But come, let us have this matter
settled, and 1 will be easy in mind.
The invalid signed the will, and, under
the directions of the school-master, Lu-
cy and her mother put their names to
it, along with his own, as a0itneSscs.


After the completion of this deed,
Richard lived several weeks in the en-
ioyment of tolerable health. But a
second attack, of the same nature as
the first, terminated his days, The
shoolmaster, as executor, spared Lucy
and her mother the painful task of di
rccting the funeral ceremonies. For
the first time for many years, James
Symmons entered his brothers house,
on the occasion of the burial. He had
become more squalid than ever, and
though evidently verging rapidly to the
grave, still grasped at wealth with as
keen hand as ever. Some thought
they observed on his countenance CLEANS
Of wild eagerness breaking at times, as
if unconsciously, through the show of
gravity which he. wore, as he followed
his brother to the tomb. Certain it is,
that his disappointment was obvious
to every one present when the will Of
the deceased was read, though all the
village anticipated the destination of
the property. The countenance Of the
miser fell when he heard the deed gone
over, his knees shook, and he glared
with his dark cunning eyes on the inno-
cent inheritors, as if they had robbed
him of his treasure. He had SO much
self-restraint as not to break out into
abuse, but he would partake of nothing
with the other friends of the family,
and left the house with dropping head,
and with mutterings upon his lips. His
ohrr.rrtrr md oec.ftzrrfTvs Tvs-werct 7vcH
Known TO his widowed sister and his
niece for them to feel surprise at his
behaviour.


About a week after the funeral, the
schoolmaster, in his capacity Of execu-
tor, waited on Lucy's mother, and IN
formed her that it would be necessary
to prove the will in the Prerogativc
Court, and proposed that she and Lucy
should 90 with him to friend of his,
en- attorney, in order to get the matter
Of course this proposal
wa, ;i.alnodiately acceded to. On reach
ing the attorncv's chambers, the special
will of Richard Symmons, drawn up
and signed as already mentioned, was
shown to the legal practitioner He
had not looked at it few minutes,
when he discovered it to be totally use
less and invalid BY the established
law of England, every devise, in such
a will, to an attcsting seit,,csS, is roid,
and of no avail. Lucy and her mother
were placed in this position through
the consummate ignorance Of the person
who had undertaken to be their guide
in the matter. When the attorney, with
a grave face but kindly tone, intimated
this sad error, the heart of the poor
widow sank within her, as she looked
at her daughter, and as the recollection
of the heir-at-law's character came
across her mind. And, for the school
master, who was really a worthy, kind
hearted man, his self-accusations were
bitter exceedingly. But he tried to
reassure himself and his friends with
the hope that the flaw would never be
known, and that, if it were known, Jas.
Summons could not be so cruel and unjust
as to take away what it undeniably'was
his deceased brothers wish to give to
those who now had it. The attorney
shook his head at the latter observation
of the schoolmaster, and said, that
secrecy, to say the least of it, was
much the stronger hope of the two. :
To the preservation of silence on the
subject, he at once pledged himself, and
trusted that the flaw mights6ot be heard
of. The schoolmastcr then departed
with Lucy and her mother,-all three,
it must be confessed, somewhat depress-
ed in spirits by the unexpected intelli-
gcnce which had been conveyed to them.
Lucy's heart, already sad for the loss of
her kind uncle, was now still more sad
dened by the fear Of her mother having
to encounter hardships in her declining
years. The mother, again was grieved
at the thoughts of the effect which the
discovery would have upon the pros
perity OF her daughters whole life. And
self-reproach was busy in the breast Of
the schoolmaster.


Alas! evil news spread fast. Whether
James Summons had himself observed


the circumstance of the signatures at
the reading of the will; and had after


wards discovered the legal consequence,
OF whether some other person had de-


tccted the error, and promulgated it,


we are unable to say. But the flaw did


come to the knowledge Of James Sym