d, and after his death Heer Roosten
endeavoured to give effect to the provision of the will, by writing to
John Trenchard, at Moonfleet, Dorset, to apprise him that he was left
sole heir. That address, indeed, was all the indication that Aldobrand
had given, though he constantly promised his attorney to let him have
closer information as to Trenchard's whereabouts, in good time. This
information was, however, always postponed, perhaps because Aldobrand
hoped he might get better and so repent of his repentance. So all Heer
Roosten had to do was to write to Trenchard at Moonfleet, and in due
course the letter was returned to him, with the information that
Trenchard had fled that place to escape the law, and was then nowhere to
be found. After that Heer Roosten was advised to write to the minister of
the parish, and so addressed these lines to Mr. Glennie.

This was the gist of the letter which Mr. Glennie read, and you may
easily guess how such news moved me, and how we sat far into the night
talking and considering what steps it was best to take, for we feared
lest so long an interval as eight years having elapsed, the lawyers might
have made some other disposition of the money. It was midnight when Mr.
Glennie left. The candle had long burnt out, but the fire was bright,
and he knelt a moment by the trestle-table before he went out.

'He made a good end, John,' he said, rising from his knees, 'and I pray
that our end may be in as good cause when it comes. For with the best of
us the hour of death is an awful hour, and we may well pray, as every
Sunday, to be delivered in it. But there is another time which those who
wrote this Litany thought no less perilous, and bade us pray to be
delivered in all time of our wealth. So I pray that if, after all, this
wealth comes to your hand you may be led to use it well; for though I do
not hold with foolish tales, or think a curse hangs on riches themselves,
yet if riches have been set apart for a good purpose, even by evil men,
as Colonel John Mohune set apart this treasure, it cannot be but that we
shall do grievous wrong in putting them to other use. So fare you well,
and remember that there are other treasures besides this, and that a good
woman's love is worth far more than all the gold and jewels of the
world--as I once knew.' And with that he left me.

I guessed that he had spoken with Grace that day, and as I lay dozing in
front of the fire, alone in this old room I knew s