, but the Governor said, "If you please, Mr.
Congdon," with all possible shadings of courteous insistence, and gently
pried it from the old man's fingers.

It was a heavy, bulgy, disreputable-looking umbrella with a battered
curved handle. The canopy was held together by a piece of twine. Rather
than be seen with so monstrous a thing any self-respecting person would
cheerfully take a drenching. The Governor opened it, shook out a number
of manilla envelopes, all carefully sealed, and flung the umbrella from
him as though it were an odious and hateful thing. As it struck the
water it spread open and the wind seized it and bore it gaily away. The
Governor watched it for a moment with an ironic grin, then began opening
the envelopes and scanning the contents.

"I began life as a lawyer," he said coolly, "so you needn't fear that
I'll not respect the sanctity of these experiments in the testamentary
art."

Archie, taking and refolding the wills as the Governor finished reading
them, marveled at this unexpected revelation of his friend's profession
let fall in the most casual fashion, as was the Governor's way.

"It's evident from the dates of these wills that you've been steadily
cutting down the amount of your bequest to your son," the Governor was
saying, "so that if you died tonight he'd receive only a hundred
thousand dollars, the remaining million or two going to humane
societies, and one fat plum, I notice, to the Home for Outcast Cats. The
eccentricities of testators have never impressed me by their humor,
particularly when hatred and revenge are behind them. You would
malevolently cut off your own blood merely because your daughter-in-law
doesn't like your manners, which are bad, or because your son wouldn't
fall in with your fantastic schemes of making money dishonestly. I
suppose you've had a good time flourishing these wills before your son
and his wife when you were peeved, to let them know how you planned to
punish them. Watch me, Archie, so you can bear witness to the
destruction of these things; they're all going to feed the fishes except
this earliest one, which divides the property in generous lumps between
Putney Congdon and his children, with a handsome personal recognition of
Mrs. Congdon. That shall be preserved."

Eliphalet sullenly watched the Governor as he tore the papers into bits
and flung them to the breeze, all save the one, which he again scanned
with sophisticated care and stowed away car