The Lady of the Shroud by Bram Stoker (knowledgeable books to read .txt) 📖
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our immediate understanding of the situation the total amount as two
hundred and fifty thousand pounds. Many of the beneficiaries were
old friends, comrades, dependents, and servants, some of them being
left quite large sums of money and specific objects, such as curios
and pictures.
“‘5. To my kinsman and nephew Ernest Roger Halbard Melton presently
living in the house of his father at Humcroft Salop the sum of Ten
thousand pounds sterling.
“‘6. To my old and valued friend Edward Bingham Trent of one hundred
and seventy-six Lincoln’s Inn Fields sum of Twenty thousand pounds
sterling free from all Duties Taxes and Charges whatsoever to be paid
out of my Five per centum Bonds of the city of Manchester England.
“‘7. To my dear nephew Rupert Sent Leger only son of my dear sister
Patience Melton by her marriage with Captain Rupert Sent Leger the
sum of one thousand pounds sterling. I also bequeath to the said
Rupert Sent Leger a further sum conditional upon his acceptance of
the terms of a letter addressed to him marked B, and left in the
custody of the above Edward Bingham Trent and which letter is an
integral part of this my Will. In case of the non-acceptance of the
conditions of such letter, I devise and bequeath the whole of the
sums and properties reserved therein to the executors herein
appointed Colin Alexander MacKelpie and Edward Bingham Trent in trust
to distribute the same in accordance with the terms of the letter in
the present custody of Edward Bingham Trent marked C, and now
deposited sealed with my seal in the sealed envelope containing my
last Will to be kept in the custody of the said Edward Bingham Trent
and which said letter C is also an integral part of my Will. And in
case any doubt should arise as to my ultimate intention as to the
disposal of my property the above-mentioned Executors are to have
full power to arrange and dispose all such matters as may seem best
to them without further appeal. And if any beneficiary under this
Will shall challenge the same or any part of it, or dispute the
validity thereof, he shall forfeit to the general estate the bequest
made herein to him, and any such bequest shall cease and be void to
all intents and purposes whatsoever.
“‘8. For proper compliance with laws and duties connected with
testamentary proceedings and to keep my secret trusts secret I direct
my Executors to pay all Death, Estate, Settlement, Legacy,
Succession, or other duties charges impositions and assessments
whatever on the residue of my estate beyond the bequests already
named, at the scale charged in the case of most distant relatives or
strangers in blood.
“‘9. I hereby appoint as my Executors Major-General Sir Colin
Alexander MacKelpie, Baronet, of Croom in the County of Ross, and
Edward Bingham Trent Attorney at Law of one hundred and seventy-six
Lincoln’s Inn Fields London West Central with full power to exercise
their discretion in any circumstance which may arise in the carrying
out my wishes as expressed in this Will. As reward for their
services in this capacity as Executors they are to receive each out
of the general estate a sum of one hundred thousand pounds sterling
free of all Duties and impositions whatsoever.
“12. The two Memoranda contained in the letters marked B and C are
Integral Parts of this my Last Will are ultimately at the Probate of
the Will to be taken as Clauses 10 and 11 of it. The envelopes are
marked B and C on both envelope and contents and the contents of each
is headed thus: B to be read as Clause 10 of my Will and the other C
to be read as Clause 11 of my Will.
“13. Should either of the above-mentioned Executors die before the
completion of the above year and a half from the date of the Reading
of my Will or before the Conditions rehearsed in Letter C the
remaining Executor shall have all and several the Rights and Duties
entrusted by my Will to both. And if both Executors should die then
the matter of interpretation and execution of all matters in
connection with this my Last Will shall rest with the Lord Chancellor
of England for the time being or with whomsoever he may appoint for
the purpose.
“‘This my Last Will is given by me on the first day of January in the
year of Our Lord one thousand nine hundred and seven.
“‘ROGER MELTON.
“We Andrew Rossiter and John Colson here in the presence of each
other and of the Testator have seen the Testator Roger Melton sign
and seal this document. In witness thereof we hereby set our names
“‘ANDREW ROSSITER clerk of 9 Primrose Avenue London W.C.
“‘JOHN COLSON caretaker of 176 Lincoln’s Inn Fields and Verger of St.
Tabitha’s Church Clerkenwell London.’”
When Mr. Trent had finished the reading he put all the papers
together, and tied them up in a bundle again with the red tape.
Holding the bundle in his hand, he stood up, saying as he did so:
“That is all, gentlemen, unless any of you wish to ask me any
questions; in which case I shall answer, of course, to the best of my
power. I shall ask you, Sir Colin, to remain with me, as we have to
deal with some matters, or to arrange a time when we may meet to do
so. And you also, Mr. Sent Leger, as there is this letter to submit
to you. It is necessary that you should open it in the presence of
the executors, but there is no necessity that anyone else should be
present.”
The first to speak was my father. Of course, as a county gentleman
of position and estate, who is sometimes asked to take the chair at
Sessions—of course, when there is not anyone with a title present—
he found himself under the duty of expressing himself first. Old
MacKelpie has superior rank; but this was a family affair, in which
my father is Head of the House, whilst old MacKelpie is only an
outsider brought into it—and then only to the distaff side, by the
wife of a younger brother of the man who married into our family.
Father spoke with the same look on his face as when he asks important
questions of witnesses at Quarter Sessions.
“I should like some points elucidated.” The attorney bowed (he gets
his 120 thou’, any way, so he can afford to be oily—suave, I suppose
he would call it); so father looked at a slip of paper in his hand
and asked:
“How much is the amount of the whole estate?”
The attorney answered quickly, and I thought rather rudely. He was
red in the face, and didn’t bow this time; I suppose a man of his
class hasn’t more than a very limited stock of manners:
“That, sir, I am not at liberty to tell you. And I may say that I
would not if I could.”
“Is it a million?” said father again. He was angry this time, and
even redder than the old attorney. The attorney said in answer, very
quietly this time:
“Ah, that’s cross-examining. Let me say, sir, that no one can know
that until the accountants to be appointed for the purpose have
examined the affairs of the testator up to date.”
Mr. Rupert St. Leger, who was looking all this time angrier than even
the attorney or my father—though at what he had to be angry about I
can’t imagine—struck his fist on the table and rose up as if to
speak, but as he caught sight of both old MacKelpie and the attorney
he sat down again. Mem.—Those three seem to agree too well. I must
keep a sharp eye on them. I didn’t think of this part any more at
the time, for father asked another question which interested me much:
“May I ask why the other matters of the Will are not shown to us?”
The attorney wiped his spectacles carefully with a big silk bandanna
handkerchief before he answered:
“Simply because each of the two letters marked ‘B’ and ‘C’ is
enclosed with instructions regarding their opening and the keeping
secret of their contents. I shall call your attention to the fact
that both envelopes are sealed, and that the testator and both
witnesses have signed their names across the flap of each envelope.
I shall read them. The letter marked ‘B,’ directed to ‘Rupert Sent
Leger,’ is thus endorsed:
“‘This letter is to be given to Rupert Sent Leger by the Trustees and
is to be opened by him in their presence. He is to take such copy or
make such notes as he may wish and is then to hand the letter with
envelope to the Executors who are at once to read it, each of them
being entitled to make copy or notes if desirous of so doing. The
letter is then to be replaced in its envelope and letter and envelope
are to be placed in another envelope to be endorsed on outside as to
its contents and to be signed across the flap by both the Executors
and by the said Rupert Sent Leger.
”’(Signed) ROGER MELTON 1/6/‘06.
“The letter marked ‘C,’ directed to ‘Edward Bingham Trent,’ is thus
endorsed:
“‘This letter directed to Edward Bingham Trent is to be kept by him
unopened for a term of two years after the reading of my Last Will
unless said period is earlier terminated by either the acceptance or
refusal of Rupert Sent Leger to accept the conditions mentioned in my
letter to him marked ‘B’ which he is to receive and read in the
presence of my Executors at the same meeting as but subsequent to the
Reading of the clauses (except those to be ultimately numbers ten and
eleven) of my Last Will. This letter contains instructions as to
what both the Executors and the said Rupert Sent Leger are to do when
such acceptance or refusal of the said Rupert Sent Leger has been
made known, or if he omit or refuse to make any such acceptance or
refusal, at the end of two years next after my decease.
”’(Signed) ROGER MELTON 1/6/‘06.’”
When the attorney had finished reading the last letter he put it
carefully in his pocket. Then he took the other letter in his hand,
and stood up. “Mr. Rupert Sent Leger,” he said, “please to open this
letter, and in such a way that all present may see that the
memorandum at top of the contents is given as -
“‘B. To be read as clause ten of my Will.’”
St. Leger rolled up his sleeves and cuffs just as if he was going to
perform some sort of prestidigitation—it was very theatrical and
ridiculous—then, his wrists being quite bare, he opened the envelope
and took out the letter. We all saw it quite well. It was folded
with the first page outward, and on the top was written a line just
as the attorney said. In obedience to a request from the attorney,
he laid both letter and envelope on the table in front of him. The
clerk then rose up, and, after handing a piece of paper to the
attorney, went back to his seat. Mr. Trent, having written something
on the paper, asked us all who were present, even the clerk and the
shorthand man, to look at the memorandum on the letter and what was
written on the envelope, and to sign the paper, which ran:
“We the signatories of this paper hereby declare
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