Part 107 (2/2)
With that brief answer, Lady Holchester dismissed her visitor. Following the servant to the other end of the corridor, Sir Patrick was conducted into a small room--the ante-chamber to the bedroom in which Lord Holchester lay. The door of communication was closed. A gentleman sat writing at a table near the window. He rose, and held out his hand, with a look of surprise, when the servant announced Sir Patrick's name. This was Mr. Marchwood.
After the first explanations had been given, Sir Patrick patiently reverted to the object of his visit to Holchester House. On the first occasion when he mentioned Anne's name he observed that Mr. Marchwood became, from that moment, specially interested in what he was saying.
”Do you happen to be acquainted with the lady?” he asked
”I only know her as the cause of a very strange proceeding, this morning, in that room.” He pointed to Lord Holchester's bedroom as he spoke.
”Are you at liberty to mention what the proceeding was?”
”Hardly--even to an old friend like you--unless I felt it a matter of duty, on my part, to state the circ.u.mstances. Pray go on with what you were saying to me. You were on the point of telling me what brought you to this house.”
Without a word more of preface, Sir Patrick told him the news of Geoffrey's marriage to Anne.
”Married!” cried Mr. Marchwood. ”Are you sure of what you say?”
”I am one of the witnesses of the marriage.”
”Good Heavens! And Lord Holchester's lawyer has left the house!”
”Can I replace him? Have I, by any chance justified you in telling me what happened this morning in the next room?”
”Justified me? You have left me no other alternative. The doctors are all agreed in dreading apoplexy--his lords.h.i.+p may die at any moment.
In the lawyer's absence, I must take it on myself. Here are the facts.
There is the codicil to Lord Holchester's Will which is still unsigned.”
”Relating to his second son?”
”Relating to Geoffrey Delamayn, and giving him (when it is once executed) a liberal provision for life.”
”What is the object in the way of his executing it?”
”The lady whom you have just mentioned to me.”
”Anne Silvester!”
”Anne Silvester--now (as you tell me) Mrs. Geoffrey Delamayn. I can only explain the thing very imperfectly. There are certain painful circ.u.mstances a.s.sociated in his lords.h.i.+p's memory with this lady, or with some member of her family. We can only gather that he did something--in the early part of his professional career--which was strictly within the limits of his duty, but which apparently led to very sad results. Some days since he unfortunately heard (either through Mrs.
Glenarm or through Mrs. Julius Delamayn) of Miss Silvester's appearance at Swanhaven Lodge. No remark on the subject escaped him at the time.
It was only this morning, when the codicil giving the legacy to Geoffrey was waiting to be executed, that his real feeling in the matter came out. To our astonishment, he refused to sign it. 'Find Anne Silvester'
(was the only answer we could get from him); 'and bring her to my bedside. You all say my son is guiltless of injuring her. I am lying on my death-bed. I have serious reasons of my own--I owe it to the memory of the dead--to a.s.sure myself of the truth. If Anne Silvester herself acquits him of having wronged her, I will provide for Geoffrey. Not otherwise.' We went the length of reminding him that he might die before Miss Silvester could be found. Our interference had but one result.
He desired the lawyer to add a second codicil to the Will--which he executed on the spot. It directs his executors to inquire into the relations that have actually existed between Anne Silvester and his younger son. If we find reason to conclude that Geoffrey has gravely wronged her, we are directed to pay her a legacy--provided that she is a single woman at the time.”
”And her marriage violates the provision!” exclaimed Sir Patrick.
”Yes. The codicil actually executed is now worthless. And the other codicil remains unsigned until the lawyer can produce Miss Silvester. He has left the house to apply to Geoffrey at Fulham, as the only means at our disposal of finding the lady. Some hours have pa.s.sed--and he has not yet returned.”
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