The Lady of the Shroud, Bram Stoker [most life changing books .txt] 📗

Trent read out the list here following, and announced for

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