d--of the ancient Egyptians,
whose chief aspiration was that of everlasting repose for the dead.
See the trouble they took to achieve it. Think of the great Pyramid,
or that of Amenhotep the Fourth with its labyrinth of false passages
and its sealed and hidden sepulchral chambers. Think of Jacob, borne
after death all those hundreds of weary miles in order that he might
sleep with his fathers and then remember Shakespeare and his solemn
adjuration to posterity to let him rest undisturbed in his grave. No,
Berkeley, it is not a silly sentiment. I am as indifferent as you as
to what becomes of my body 'when I have done with it,' to use your
irreverent phrase; but I recognize the solicitude that some other men
display on the subject as a natural feeling that has to be taken
seriously."

"But even so," I said, "if this man had a hankering for a freehold
residence in some particular bone-yard, he might have gone about the
business in a more reasonable way."

"There I am entirely with you," Thorndyke replied. "It is the absurd
way in which this provision is worded that not only creates all the
trouble but also makes the whole document so curiously significant in
view of the testator's disappearance."

"How significant?" Jervis demanded eagerly.

"Let us consider the provisions of the will point by point," said
Thorndyke; "and first note that the testator commanded the services of
a very capable lawyer."

"But Mr. Jellicoe disapproved of the will," said I; "in fact, he
protested strongly against the form of it."

"We will bear that in mind too," Thorndyke replied. "And now with
reference to what we may call the contentious clauses: the first thing
that strikes us is their preposterous injustice. Godfrey's inheritance
is made conditional on a particular disposal of the testator's body.
But this is a matter not necessarily under Godfrey's control. The
testator might have been lost at sea, or killed in a fire or explosion,
or have died abroad and been buried where his grave could not have been
identified. There are numerous probable contingencies besides the
improbable one that has happened that might prevent the body from being
recovered.

"But even if the body had been recovered, there is another difficulty.
The places of burial in the parishes have all been closed for many
years. It would be impossible to reopen any of them without a special
faculty, and I doubt whether such a faculty would be granted. Poss