Uneasy Money

ce the reign of King William the Fourth, the second since the jubilee year of Queen Victoria. The remaining brace were Lord Da

ve his daily imitation of a young man labouring with diligence and enthusiasm at the law. His father bein

had not yet cured him. There was an airy disregard for legal formalities about him which exasperated his father, an attorney of the old school. He came to the point,

stcoat with the ferrule of the umbrella. 'How's the boy? Fine! So

come from

a ch

s the

ll into a chair and sea

nd an hour and a half rambling on about testators and beneficiary legatees, and parties of the first part, and all that sort of

tco

tco

ra Nut

of Chicago, later of London

he d

you something like

h looked at

committee expects me to spend some of my time at the club, and if I hang about here

alming himself by these means, picked up a paper-weight from the desk and hurled it at a portrait of the founder

sors and cut the cord, he allowed

boy, who was undoubtedly destined to become a

rki

s,

yonder

s,

ve obse

s,

dering how i

s,

ll. We both saw it and were very much surprised and startled. I soothed your nervous system by giving you this half-crown. Th

s,

er let us return to your little matter. Honestly, Bill, you make me sick. When I contemplate you the iron enters my soul. You stand there talking about your tuppenny-ha'penny job as if it matt

he appeared unmoved. Inwardly he was a riot of bewild

f "whereases" and "peradventures" and "heretofores" and similar swank, and there aren't any stops in it. It takes the legal mind, like mine, to tackle wills. What it says, when you've peeled off a few of the long words which they put in to make it more interesting, is that old Nu

lish fou

s this re

spe

't pullin

take me for? I'm a dry, hard-headed lawyer. The firm of Nichols, Ni

d Lo

rently had no time before he died to alter it again in somebody else's, which he would most certainly have done if he had lived long enough, for his chief recreation seems to have been making his will. To my certain kn

n't po

and not cracked enough to have them disputed on the ground of insan

him of

did w

his approach sho

m now and then at Walton Heath. It was the only thing Nutcombe seemed to live for. That being so, if you got rid of his slice for him it seems to me

was out of the season, and that drew us together. And when I spotted this slice of his I just gave him a

to wit, that you gave up all your time to helping the old fellow improve

, n

lly good chap that something of this sort was bound to happen to you sooner or later. I think making

n seem decently gr

office only a month or two ago about absolutely nothing. They disagreed about something trivi

ane, do y

ch of which declares him perfectly sound from the collar upward. But a man can be pretty far gone, you know, without being legal

ced old Nutcombe, left him her money. This seems to have soured the old boy on the nephew, for in the first of his wills that I've seen-you remember I told you I had

nything to offend him during those six months, none of those nasty slams you see in wills about "I bequeath to my only son John one shilling and sixpence. Now perhaps he's sorry he married the cook." As far as I can make out he

his second will and switch back to the first one-the one leaving the money to the niece. That restoration to sanity lasted till about a month ago, when he broke loose

and began to pace the room. He looked warm and uncomfortable. His demea

said. 'Good Lord, Je

g left a mil

s. I feel like

on ea

n for me this gir

s Boyd-Eliz

he whole million if i

u told

d never have got anywhere. Also one to the nephew, telling him about his twenty pounds. I believe in humane treatment on these occasions. The governor would write them a legal letter with so many "hereinbefore

s face moved him

if these eccentric wills of old Nutcombe's came in cycles, as it were. Just as he was due for another outbreak he happened to meet you. It's a moral certainty that if he h

xactly that. But-but, well, what

o-yea

you do a

d that money with a vim and speed that would make your r

America and see whether som

ha

ticket for New York on to-morrow's boat, wouldn't you try to get in touch with

always known that old Bill was a dear old ass, but he had

nking of doing

going to America, anyhow, to-morrow. I don't see why

ng? You don't suggest that you s

, I should like to find out about her, see if she's hard up, and so on. I should like to n

e that I shall. Honestly, Bill

round, is there? Be a good c

ivings-'Brookpor

ank

lly going to make

, old chap. I'm

ose r

round,' s

oor, and once more peace reigned in the offic

him. He had booked his ticket by a Liverpool boat in preference to one that sailed from Southampton because he had not been sure how Claire would take the news of his sudden decision to leave for America. There was the chance that she might ridicule or condemn the scheme, and he preferred to get away without seeing

they had spoken so often had most surprisingly left him in his will a large sum of money, and eased

mpany before it could arrive. Where was it that she said they were going next week? Portsmouth, that was