A Girl with a Temper. A romance of the Wills Act

Chapter I

plOBERT PEYTO, as he rode back to Monkssord, felt that on the whole he had reason to congratulate him self on the manner in which he had played his part in the somewhat theatrical scene he had just been through. It was true Celia had again— and this time, in the most unequivocal manner — refused him, but that, as he reminded himself, was while she was in ignorance of the penalty VOL. II. she would have to pay if she insisted on indulging her own fancy. A few days' re flection, he thought, would make her see things in a different light, and would con vince her that even the kisses of Miles Millington might be bought at too high a price. And if in spite of everything she still clung to him — well, in that case he would put her out of his head once for all, and console himself with the material ad vantages her obstinacy would confer on him.

These would be considerable, unless, indeed But here his mind wandered away among the clauses of the Wills Act, with which he had by this time made him self tolerably familiar, and whither we will not attempt to follow him. He arrived at his hotel in a good humour, and was soon on his way back to town with the will in his pocket. Next morning he lost no time in making his way to Lincoln's Inn Fields and imparting his news to Mr. Prince, who received it with great disgust. Few pieces of business are more lucrative to lawyers than the realization and division of the estate of a rich man who dies intestate, and Prince had counted on keeping the management of the property in his own hands for some time longer. "And is this the. precious document ?" asked he, contemptuously, looking at Sir Arthur's letter narrowly, and then holding it up to the light to see if there were any thing suspicious about the paper on which it was written.

" Well, it looks rather like it, doesn't it ? " answered Robert, good-humouredly. " There's not much doubt as to its being my uncle's handwriting." "How do you know that ? " grumbled the lawyer — not that he had any doubt on the subject, but because he could not alto gether conceal his annoyance. "Why I saw him myself " began Robert, off his guard for once. " Saw him write this ? " sneered Prince, still examining it carefully. " Why no — not this particular thing, of course. But I've seen him write a thousand times, and I canswear to his hand, and so can you." "Yes," assented Prince, orudg-ino'ly. " I don't think there can be any question about it ; and it's just his curt style of writing, too. Where do you say you found it ? " " I didn't find it," said Peyto. " Miss Bogle found it in a secret cupboard be hind that picture of my uncle in the library, with about a thousand other papers —love letters mostly, and private memo randum books."

" H'm ! Anybody else in the room when it was found ? " " Yes, I was, and my cousin Celia too. You should have seen her face when the door of the cupboard flew open. But never mind that. Will that document, as you call it, have all the force of a will, although it's really only instructions for one ? " "Assuming that — as appears to be the fact — it's properly signed and witnessed — undoubtedly. Is that ' John Wilson ' written in your man's writing ? Have you got any other specimens of it ?" " I think so ; but I've no doubt on the subject." "And who's this Democritus Higgins ?" " I don't know. There were a good many people in and out of the Hall the day or two before my uncle died. Why ? Will it be necessary to call him to swear to his signature ? " " Not unless somebody contests the will, which any of the next of kin might do on the off-chance."

This idea had, of course, among all the other contingencies which he had faced, occurred to Robert, but he had quite made up his mind as to his course of action under those circumstances, and he smiled. " Celia's the only one who would be likely to do that, in case she finds herself unmarried at the end of the year," he said. " The others are as poor as church mice, and haven't got any money to throw away on lawyers." " Just the most dangerous people," said Prince, determined not to agree with anything his client said. " Nothing to lose by an action, and everything to gain. How ever, I don't think they'd do any good." " I should think not, indeed," said Robert, valiantly. "And now, how long will it take to prove that will ? I want you to be as quick as you can about it ; you're executor, you know."

"Yes," said Prince, slowly. "I'm ex ecutor, as you say ; but I should like to see Miss Peyto first. The terms on which she's left the property are so very unusual, and, to tell the truth, I don't at this minute know exactly how far they're legal." " Of course, the year runs from the death of my uncle ? " said Peyto, a little anxiously. " I really can't say off-hand ; but, any how, I must see her at once." " Any objection to my being present ? " asked Peyto, " or shall I instruct some other solicitor to look after my interests, which are very considerable, let me tell you." " Good gracious, Peyto ! — no," said the lawyer, who had not the smallest intention of taking sides, till he saw which way the matrimonial cat was going to jump. " You can meet her here, if she'll come up. I want to find out whether it's to her in terest that the will shall stand or not before taking steps to prove it, that's all."

" Very well," said Peyto ; " write and ask her to come up the day after to morrow, and to be here at two. She can come by the morning train — women are always glad of an excuse to rush up to town— and let me know. I suppose you'll keep this will in the meantime ? " he added, looking at it regretfully, for he did not like to trust it out of his hands now. " Of course ; it'll be quite safe, you can depend on that. And in case there should be a row over it you'd better see if you can think of any means of tracing Wilson." " Trace Wilson, indeed," said Peyto to himself as he walked slowly round the garden of Lincoln's Inn, after leaving the office. " Yes ; if everything else fails, and we're driven to the wall, then we'll trace Wilson, and if we don't give the next of kin their — h'm — their quantum sufficiat of Wilson, then my name's not Robert Peyto, but — something quite different."

He returned to his Chambers and wrote Celia a letter, informing her of what he had done that morning, and begging her to come to town and see the lawyer before any move was made in the matter of Sir Arthur's will. He made no allusion to the scene that had taken place the day before, and wrote only in the character of an affectionate cousin to a young and headstrong relative, whose true interests he had at heart. Celia received his letter the next morning, and, after reading it, threw it in the fire with a scornful curl of her lip. But the same post brought one from Mr. Prince, making an appointment at his office for the following day ; and to this, after consulting Miss Bogle, who was burning with curiosity to know how it was all going to end, she sent a reply to say that she would go to London in the morning and be in Lincoln's Inn Fields at the time named.

It was not in the hope of hearing any good news that she consented to take the journey, for she had put away all hope of inheritance now, and was only anxious never to hear the word "property" again. But among the other contents of the post-bag that morning had been Miles's passionate letter written in reply to her own, which had so fervently kindled her love for him that she felt as if she could not exist away from him. Mr. Prince's letter supplied the excuse she wanted, for she thought that if she were in town on business, she would feel herself justified in going and paying him a visit, to see for herself how he bore the sad intelligence which she had communicated to him in her letter of two days before. Punctually, therefore, at two o'clock she made her appearance, attended by Miss Bogle, at the office of Messrs. Prince and Watson, and was shown into the solicitor's private room, where she found her cousin already waiting for her.

She knew Prince well, and liked him ; but to a woman a visit to a lawyer is almost as serious a matter as a visit to a dentist, and, in spite of her courage, she was more than a little nervous as she shook hands with him and nodded coolly to Peyto. " I have taken the liberty of asking you to come here, Miss Peyto," said Mr. Prince, after polite inquiries had been made as to things in general, and he was seated in his official chair with the big deed-box lettered " Sir Arthur Peyto, deceased," before him, " because I cannot leave town this week, and our business is somewhat pressing ; indeed, every day is of importance to you." Celia bowed, and he resumed in a pompous voice, " The testamentary document which Sir Robert has placed in my hands seems to have been undoubtedly written by your uncle, and to have been executed by him with all the formalities necessary to give it the power and effect of a will."

He paused and looked at Celia over the top of the double eye-glasses which he only assumed on solemn occasions, and she as sented by another bow. " By this will you are benefited to a very considerable extent — to the extent, indeed, of five sixths of the testator's property. But the gift to you is — eh — clogged with a con dition of so unusual, so extraordinary a character that it may well be, that you would consider it to your advantage if it were possible in any way that matters should remain in statu quo ante." " He means," said Robert, speaking for almost the first time, " that you'd probably like to upset this will, if you can." " Eh, yes ; undoubtedly that is my meanine. Now the condition to which I allude is simply this, — that within a year of the death of the testator you should be married — not to any person in particular, but to somebody — in fact, that you should be a wife."

Celia opened her mouth to speak, but he stopped her politely. " Pardon me. I have not quite finished. Now, with practically the whole of mankind — for there is no necessity to name the solitary exception — to choose your husband from, that condition would not seem a very hard one to most ladies of your age. But now comes the unfortunate part. This will, by the most unlucky chance in the world, has not turned up — I should say, been found — until the year limited by it has so nearly expired, that you may well find it difficult consistently with — eh — conven tionality — not to say propriety — to comply with the condition which, under the circumstances — circumstances which the testator could never have contemplated — becomes one of the most onerous nature." " Quite so," said Miss Bogle, em phatically.

" To force a girl to marry within ten days — perfectly indecent." Mr. Prince looked at her severely, though a smile lurked under his trim moustache, as he wondered whether she would have considered it so indecent had she herself been the victim, and resumed his speech. " It thus became my duty, as the only executor named in the will, at once to take the best advice I could get as to how far, if at all, these peculiar circumstances of the case would justify me, in extending the time during which the executory devise to your cousin, Sir Robert, to take effect in case of your nonfulfilment of the condition, should or might remain suspended, or, in plainer language, whether the year couldn't be allowed to run from the finding of the will, and not from the death of the testator." Celia smiled to herself and shook her head, and Miss Bogle, whose face had grown very long under the shower of polysyllables, brightened up and looked expectant.

" I have this morning received the opinion of a most eminent conveyancer, whom I consulted on the point," Prince continued, taking up a paper from his table ; "and I regret to have to inform you, Miss Peyto, that his view is distinctly unfavourable to any such suggestion. According to him such a course of pro cedure, looking at the interests involved, would be an act of injustice to your cousin which no Judge would sanction ; and I must therefore inform you, with great regret, that should this will stand good, as there is no reason to doubt that it will, you must marry within thirteen days from now, or lose all benefit under it ; and jolly hard lines too," concluded the lawyer, dropping into his usual conversational tone, — throwing off the executor, as it were, and becoming once more the easy o-oincr man of the world that, under a thin professional veneer, he was.

" I never expected anything else," said Celia, simply, and Prince and Robert looked at each other significantly. 2 2 VOL. "Very well," said the former, with a slight return to his executor tone. " It then becomes — unless certain arrangements are already made — to your interest to oppose probate of this will, to lodge a caveat and to try to have it declared void ; and in that case " " Pardon me," Celia interrupted, " but have you any reason to suppose the will could be made void — that it could be shown to be a forgery for instance ? " For the life of her she could not resist a glance at her cousin, who stood leaning on the mantelpiece and looking thoughtfully into the fire. " Frankly speaking — not the smallest. Indeed, should you think of doing what I hinted at, I should ask you to go to some other solicitor, even if I were not bound by my appointment to defend the will.

The only chance would be that cross examination of the witnesses might bring out some informality in the attestation. That the will was written by your uncle's hand and signed by him as a testamentary document, I have not the smallest doubt." " And you believe — speaking both as a lawyer and as a gentleman" said Celia, looking at him with piercing eyes and emphasizing the last word, " that that paper contains my uncle's last wishes, ex pressed in my uncle's own words, and written by my uncle's hand ? " " On my word of honour in both capa cities, I do." " Then," said Celia, rising from her seat, "there's no more to be said ; nothing should induce me to try to set it aside. Let those have the land to whom he wished it to go — and much good may it do them." Is the black lightning that flashed from her eyes could have blasted, Robert Peyto would have fallen on the hearthrug a small heap of ashes ; but, fortunately for him, it was only a blank cartridge, and the bolt left him unscathed — even smiling.

A sudden thought seemed to strike him, and he turned round with an imperious gesture. " One moment, Celia" — he spoke slowly, as if choosing his words with care — " as I am the person who may be supposed to profit by the awkwardness of your position, I hope I may be allowed to say a few words." Celia bent her head with a smile that was only not a sneer. " The words of Sir Robert Peyto are certain to be valuable," she murmured. " I know what your manner to-day means," he went on, while Prince looked up surprised at the intervention. " I know what you have in your mind, and I beg you once more to think before you ruin yourself. It would be impertinent if I were even to hint at the circumstances which would make my consent — assuming that it were asked — to extending the time for your marriage a piece of sheer quixotry — though they are well enough known to you.

What I wish to do now is, in the presence of these two witnesses, to ask you to be my wife — whether before or after the expiration of this year of which we've heard so much, as you please. This is not the place for protestations of love. You know how long it is since I first asked you, and under what circumstances. I beg you to reconsider the answer you gave me then, — to put an end to this miserable state of things by which we are arrayed against each other, and to consent to an arrangement which will make, our interests — if nothing else — one." There was nothing of the pleading lover about Peyto as he made this speech. He spoke in the coolest and most col lected tone, with just enough emotion underlying it to make his voice soft, and he looked so dignified and handsome that Miss Bogle could have fallen on her knees and worshipped him ; but his words produced no more effect on Celia than her passionate glance had produced on him.

"You are very good, Robert," she said slowly ; " but as you have chosen rather an unconventional place to propose this ' arrangement,' you must forgive me if I decline to answer your question here and now. You shall have a reply in due time. I've still a few days, you know, to make up my mind whom I will marry — since it seems I am to be married whether I like it or not. Good-bye, Mr. Prince. Thank you very much for your kindness to me this morning. I shall not forget it, and I hope that, whatever happens, you'll remain my friend." She walked towards the door with her head up, followed by Miss Bogle, and Peyto held it open for them to pass out. " Thank you, Robert," she said. " Good —bye." The pause and the accent on the last syllable were unmistakable, and Peyto growled something unpleasant as he turned back into the room.

" You haven't done much good by that move," said Prince, shutting his deed-box with a snap. " Your unconventional mode of wooing doesn't seem to be a success. If ever a woman's face meant ' No,' your cousin's did then. A thousand pities too — it would be an ideal arrangement if it could be brought about." Peyto laughed ; but he looked rather foolish all the same. He quite agreed with the solicitor's reading of Love's barometer, and it struck him very forcibly that he would have to be contented with only half the stake he was playing for. When the two ladies got into the street Celia began to walk quickly, frowning all the time till her eyebrows nearly met, and Miss Bogle could hardly keep up with her. " Celia, dearest — " she began. " Hold your tongue," said Celia, sharply ; and she walked on faster than ever, Miss Bogle, quite crushed, trotting meekly after her.

In this way they made a complete circuit of Lincoln's Inn Fields, the clerks, who swarm in that pleasant neighbourhood, looking curiously at them, before the girl recovered her temper. When she did recover it, it came back all of a sudden. " Poor Editha," she said, turning round with a laugh to her companion. " I beg your pardon for snapping your nose off, but I was wild with rage at Robert's audacity. Did you ever hear such a thing ? to ask me to marry him, ' before two witnesses,' as if I was a — a — cheese monger," she concluded, somewhat at a loss for a simile. " Most indecent, I'm sure," said Miss Bogle, who would have been very glad to be asked the same question before two thousand. " What could he expect a girl to say ? — so abrupt too. But, Celia dearest, don't you think " " No," said Celia, smiling.

" I don't — not for worlds. And now, Editha, since we've just left a solicitor's office we'll have a regular legal afternoon and pay a visit to a barrister's Chambers. Which is the way to the Temple, I wonder ? I'm going to take you to see my cousin Miles — you like him, don't you ? " She inquired her way of a dandified articled clerk, who was passing them very slowly — and who gave her very minute and particular directions, looking all the time as if he would like to accompany her there for fear she should make a mistake. He got no encouragement, however, and the two soon found themselves on the staircase of No. 16, Temple Gardens. " What time does the train go ? " asked Celia, absently, as they toiled up the hun dred and forty-three stairs (be the same more or less) which separated Miles's abode from the earth.

" Five, sixteen — it will take half an hour to get to the station. And now it's half-past three. Well, we shall have plenty of time for Miles to sret us some tea and Oh, Editha ! how provoking, to be sure ! " This exclamation was caused by the sight of a heavy iron-bound door which closed the entrance to the rooms which sheltered the beloved one, with a dirty piece of paper fastened on it, inscribed with the legend " All letters and messages to be left at the Porter's Lodge." They descended the stairs again, Celia's heart beating with more hasty beats than the mere ascent was responsible for, and soon found the Porter's Lodge, where they received the pleasing intelligence that Mr. Millington had left town only that morning, and had gone to Hammerford to stay there till the end of the week.

Celia's eyes filled with tears as they came out of the Lodge, for she was only twenty and had gone through a great deal in the last three days. She hungered and thirsted for the support which she would have drawn from the presence of Miles and felt both dis appointed and hurt that he should have chosen this particular time to go out of town without at least telling her where she could find him ? It was a small thing ; but it seemed to her as if every thing had slipped from her but Miles, and now came the first faint shadow of a doubt whether she might not be going to lose him too. Two big tears rolled down her face and fell on the fur muff which she hastily raised to her eyes, and Miss Bogle, who was a good-natured woman, except when her jealousy was roused, and who was really fond of Celia except when she reflected on the difference in their fortunes, drew the girl's arm through her own and pressed it affectionately.

" Don't cry, dearest," she said sympa thetically. " No man is worth it in these days," and she hoped in her heart that Miles's absence might be the first step towards backing out of his engagement, for she preferred her friends rich, and foresaw that, failing him, Celia would marry her cousin Robert. They returned to Arlescote by the 5.16 train with only such refreshment as could be procured at the station. Celia sulked, or at least was very silent, during the whole journey, and Miss Bogle wisely abstained from any efforts at conversation, hoping that her friend was pondering on the comparative advantages of love without money and money without love. She was quite wrong, however, in her con jecture. Celia was hurt and annoyed at the failure of her plan for the afternoon's amusement, and after the manner of her sex she in her own mind put the blame of her disappointment on Robert.

With him she was bitterly angry, for though she could not exactly suppose that he was responsible for the disposition that her uncle had made of his property, still she had a strong feeling that he was behaving in a most ungenerous and grasping manner when he avowed his intention of taking advantage of it. The slight that she conceived had been put on her by Miles went to increase her angry feelings against the person whose fault it was that the course of her love was beginning to run less smoothly, for she fancied, most unjustly, that Miles's con duct towards her was the result of the change in her fortunes. " He never did such a thine before," she kept repeating angrily as she lay back in the railway carriage, shielding her eyes from the lamp, and watching the lights of the small stations that flashed by and were lost in the darkness.

At one moment she thought that she would write to him a letter containing a piece of her mind and asking him what he meant by his conduct — for though perfect love casteth out fear it by no means casteth out bad temper — and the next she determined that she would show her annoyance by taking no notice of him till she saw him, and leaving him to find her out first. Altogether she had a very unpleasant journey, and even included Miss Bogle in her displeasure with things in general because the poor tired creature went to sleep while she herself had to remain awake and suffer. In this frame of mind she passed nearly the whole of the next day, — one of the most unpleasant days that Miss Bogle had ever spent in the course of a life that had not been one of unmixed happiness. Towards the evening, however, Celia began to get frightened ; and her fears at last prevailed over her pride so much that she wrote a telegram containing about forty words, ad dressed it to Miles at his father's house, and sent it off to the nearest office by a mounted groom.

She did not inform Miss Bogle of what she had done, but that lacly was keeping her eyes and her ears very wide open about this time, and having found out for herself that a message had been sent, she easily guessed the person for whom it was intended. On the following day, which was a Saturday, a telegram was brought to Celia in the morning-room where the two ladies were sitting, and Miss Bogle watched her face closely as she read it. " No bad news I hope," she ventured timidly, as Celia changed colour and uttered a slight exclamation. " I beg your pardon ? " replied Celia, after a pause. "No bad news, did you say ? No ; nothing to speak of." She tore the telegram up into very small pieces and threw them into the basket which stood beside the pretty Chippendale secretaire at which she had been writing when the servant brought in the message.

" There's no answer," she said, and the man left the room. VOL. II. 2.. Five minutes before she had been standing by the hearth, dusting a piece of china with her handkerchief. If the telegram had been brought to her at that moment she would undoubtedly have thrown the pieces of it, after she had torn it up, into the fire, and in that case — well, in that case several things would not have happened which did happen, and at least one thing would almost certainly have happened which, as things turned out, did not. Are the lives of all men and women, living on this earth, mapped out for them beforehand by some divine adjutant, like the day of a soldier in barracks, or are they all at the mercy of blind chance, like autumn leaves floating down a moun tain stream. On the last page of this book will be found a coupon which entitles the fair reader, who is lucky enough to secure it, to compete for a prize offered by the author for the best essay on this momentous subject.

When the future father of Napoleon first met out at dinner the lady who was destined to become the mother of that Scourge of Heaven, did the wise gods know what would be the tremendous consequences of the meeting of the young people, or did they look on indifferent, while his host made up his mind whether to send the young lawyer down to dinner with Made moiselle Letizia or with Madame Some body-Else ? Only think of it, ladies! If mademoiselle had been unbecomingly dressed that evening she would never have married Papa Buonaparte and the history of the nineteenth century would have been different. Thousands of lives — millions of treasure — the destinies of un born generations, hung on the colour of a ribbon in a girl's hair. Only think of it, and you will partly realize the awful importance of having your hair dressed becomingly when you go out to dinner.