Part 49 (1/2)

Pleased even with this a.s.sent, somewhat ungraciously given, the lawyer now sat down and wrote some sentences rapidly.

”The sum you will leave to her,” he said: ”ten, twenty, thirty, forty, shall we say _fifty_ thousand pounds, my dear Mrs. Aylmer?”

”Forty--fifty if you like--_anything_! Oh, I am choking--I shall die!”

cried Mrs. Aylmer.

Mr. Wilts.h.i.+re hastily inserted the words ”fifty thousand pounds” in the codicil. He then took a pen, and called two of the nurses into the room.

”You must witness this,” he said. ”Please support the patient with pillows. Now, my dear Mrs. Aylmer, just put your name there.”

The pen was put into the trembling hand.

”I am giving my money back to--but what does this mean?” Mrs. Aylmer pushed the paper away.

”Sign, sign,” said the lawyer; ”it is according to your instructions; it is all right. Sign it.”

”Poor lady! It is a shame to worry her on the very confines of the grave,” said one of the nurses angrily.

”Just write here; you know you have the strength. Here is the pen.”

The lawyer put the pen into Mrs. Aylmer's hand. She held it limply for a minute and began to sign. The first letter of her Christian name appeared in a jagged form, the next letter was about to begin when the hand fell and the pen was no longer grasped in the feeble fingers.

”I am about to meet my Maker,” she said, with a great sob; ”send for the clergyman. Take that away.”

”I shall not allow the lady to be worried any longer,” said one of the nurses, with flas.h.i.+ng eyes.

Mr. Wilts.h.i.+re was defeated; so was Bertha Keys. The clergyman came and sat for a long time with the sick woman. She listened to what he had to say and then put a question to him.

”I am stronger than I was earlier in the day. I can do what I could not do a few hours back. Oh, I know well that I shall never recover, but before I go hence I want to give back what was entrusted to me.”

”What do you mean by that?” he asked.

”I mean my money, my wealth; I wish to return it to G.o.d.”

”Have you not made your will? It is always right that we should leave our affairs in perfect order.”

”I wish to make a fresh will, and at once. My lawyer, Mr. Wilts.h.i.+re, has come and gone. He wanted me to sign a codicil which would have been wicked. G.o.d did not wish it, so He took my strength away. I could not sign the codicil, but now I can sign a fresh will which may be made. If I dictate a fresh will to you, and I put my proper signature, and two nurses sign it, will it be legal?”

”Quite legal,” replied the clergyman.

”I will tell you my wishes. Get paper.”

The minister crossed the room, took a sheet of paper from a table which stood in the window, and prepared to write.

Mrs. Aylmer's eyes were bright, her voice no longer trembling, and she spoke quickly.

”I, Susan Aylmer, of Aylmer's Court, Shrops.h.i.+re, being quite in my right mind, leave, with the exception of a small legacy of fifty pounds a year to my sister-in-law, Mrs. Aylmer, of Dawlish, all the money I possess to two London hospitals to be chosen by my executor.--Have you put _all_ the money I possess?” she enquired.

”Yes; but is your will fair?” he said. ”Have you no other relations to whom you ought to leave some of your wealth?”