FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73  
74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   >>   >|  
h Museum by his will, and the remainder he has left to his solicitor, Mr. Jellicoe." "To Mr. Jellicoe! Why, what will Mr. Jellicoe do with Egyptian antiquities?" "Oh, he is an Egyptologist too, and quite an enthusiast. He has really a fine collection of scarabs and other small objects such as it is possible to keep in a private house. I have always thought that it was his enthusiasm for everything Egyptian that brought him and my uncle together on terms of such intimacy; though I believe he is an excellent lawyer, and he is certainly a very discreet, cautious man." "Is he? I shouldn't have thought so, judging by your uncle's will." "Oh, but that is not Mr. Jellicoe's fault. He assures us that he entreated my uncle to let him draw up a fresh document with more reasonable provisions. But he says Uncle John was immovable; and he really was a rather obstinate man. Mr. Jellicoe repudiates any responsibility in the matter. He washes his hands of the whole affair, and says that it is the will of a lunatic. And so it is, I was glancing through it only a night or two ago, and really I cannot conceive how a sane man could have written such nonsense." "You have a copy then?" I asked eagerly, remembering Thorndyke's parting instructions. "Yes. Would you like to see it? I know my father has told you about it, and it is worth reading as a curiosity of perverseness." "I should very much like to show it to my friend, Doctor Thorndyke," I replied. "He said he would be interested to read it and learn the exact provisions; and it might be well to let him, and hear what he has to say about it." "I see no objection," she rejoined; "but you know what my father is: his horror, I mean, of what he calls 'cadging for advice gratis.'" "Oh, but he need have no scruples on that score. Doctor Thorndyke wants to see the will because the case interests him. He is an enthusiast, you know, and he put the request as a personal favor to himself." "That is very nice and delicate of him, and I will explain the position to my father. If he is willing for Doctor Thorndyke to see the copy, I will send or bring it over this evening. Have we finished?" I regretfully admitted that we had, and, when I had paid the modest reckoning, we sallied forth, turning back with one accord into Great Russell Street to avoid the noise and bustle of the larger thoroughfares. "What sort of man was your uncle?" I asked presently, as we w
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   49   50   51   52   53   54   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73  
74   75   76   77   78   79   80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   91   92   93   94   95   96   97   98   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Jellicoe

 
Thorndyke
 
Doctor
 

father

 
thought
 
provisions
 
Egyptian
 

enthusiast

 

rejoined

 

horror


reading
 

scruples

 

gratis

 

cadging

 
advice
 
curiosity
 

friend

 

interested

 

replied

 
perverseness

objection
 

accord

 

turning

 

modest

 
reckoning
 

sallied

 

Russell

 
presently
 

thoroughfares

 
larger

Street
 

bustle

 

admitted

 

delicate

 

personal

 
interests
 

request

 

explain

 

position

 
evening

finished

 

regretfully

 

intimacy

 

excellent

 
enthusiasm
 

brought

 

lawyer

 
judging
 

assures

 

shouldn