Year: 1870

y
might tell me anything, my boy"


"Thank you," l cried, graspingh his offer
ed hand, "but I have nothing more to tell.
/ swear I know no more about the will than
you do"


"Could anybody else know of its being
in your office besides you and the clerks ?'
said Mr.. Talbot.


Strange to say-so strange that [ mar
veled at it myself, until that moment l
had altogether forgotten, Or it had been
kept back from recurring to my memory,
that Katie had been with me when my
mothers agonized voice called tome. Like
some vivid revelation made by flash of
lightning, lurid and binding, came back
the position in which we stood, and the last
words l had uttered. The events which fol-
lowed had been so hurried and engrossing,
the sleep succeeding to them so exhausting,
that the impression must have been, for the
time, almost obliterated. 1t returned all
the keener now and my pulse stood still,
and my heart sank heavily. Katie had
been there Katie had seen her uncle's will,
/ had left her behind me in the Office alone


| answered incoherently, stammered, con-
tradicted myself, and at last, for almost the
only time in my life, fairly burst into tears.
Never did a poor, weak wretch appear more
guilty than did. My friend-for he was
truly my friend-urged me, implored of me,
in vain to confess ALL and make him the
confidant Of my temptations and my fault;
he gave it no harsher name. 1t was impos-
sible for me to cast a suspicion upon Katie,
though as | came to think quietly over tin
my bed-room-I stayed all night at Mr..
Talbot's,-I could not Danish from me the
dread misgiving that here lay the solution
of the mystery. 1 said to myself that at
first it would be nothing but a girls thought
less curiosity which had changed into shame
and terror upon facing the consequences of
her action and that every day had made it
more impossible for her to own her fault
Then returned powerfully to me the fascin-
alton the mere sight of the will had exer-
cised over me, and the coniectures which
had rushed to my brain as / sat staring at
it. A tenth part of such temptation, l
was inclined to argue, would be too strong
for the curiosity of q woman, especially
woman the most deeply interested in it's
contents Yet Katie was so good, so sim
ple-minded, so religious should be forced
to lose my faith in her? No; I could not
believe her capable of dishonorable and
criminal action. Yet where, then, was the
will?


1t will be readily credited that l did not
sleep that night, and that was haggard
and miserable-looking in the morning. The
surveyor made a last effort to gain my con-
tidence, and my agitated reserve produced
upon him the impression that I was guilty.
The last sentence he uttered with unusual
sternness, was to the effect that unless the
will was forthcoming speedily there was no
hope of my retaining my Office, even if my
father kept his, being shielded by his dan
gerous illness at the time.


l rode homewards wretched enough, and
found Shape waiting my return. Mr.. Gray
had gone back to London, after staying no
more than a few days in Thornbury.


Nothing discovered yet " said Shape.


Nothing, answered despondently.-
If there was, you'd have no need to come
to me, for should be only too glad to let
you know.


"It beats everything in my professional
experience" he continued.


"That's no satisfaction to me-" said in
testy tone, "the question is, what is to be
done if the will does not turn up at all?"


"The very question all the relatives are
asking" replied Shape. Mr.. Lawrence
drew up the will himself, gave no hint of
the contents and has left no copy. We are
every one of us, utterly in the dark as to
his intentions. We cannot proceed as if he
had died intestate all the world knows he
did not and no one has alegal right to take
penny Of his property.