Vellenaux A Novel by Edmund William Forrest (booksvooks txt) 📕

The Morning Prior To The Funeral It Pleased Mrs. Fraudhurst,  On Meeting

Ralph Coleman In The Long Corridor,  To Request That Worthy Individual To

Grant Her A Private Interview In The General Library At Eleven O'Clock,

Precisely,  The Lawyer Bowed In The Affirmative And Passed On.

At The Time Appointed The Widow,  In Very Deep But Fashionable Mourning,

Entered The Library By One Door,  And A Few Minutes Later The New Baronet

Presented Himself At Another. After Closing It He Advanced To The Centre

Table And Waited For The Lady To Announce The Nature Of Her Business

With Him.

In A Low,  Clear And Cold,  But Perfectly Steady Voice She Thus Addressed

Him,  "Some Two Years Since I Informed You By Letter Of The Existence Of

A Will In Which The Late Baronet,  After Paying A Gratuity Of Five

Thousand Pounds To Arthur Carlton,  Left Miss Effingham Sole Heiress. In

That Will The Name Of Ralph Coleman Does Not Appear. If This Document Be

Read To-Morrow," She Continued After A Slight Pause,  "Vellenaux Is Lost

To You Forever."

"But,  My Dear Madam," He Replied,  "Among The Late Baronet'S Papers Will,

Doubtless,  Be Found A Codicil In My Behalf,  In Fact My Cousin Distinctly

Promised Me That He Would Make A Suitable Provision For The Successor To

The Title."

"And So He Would Have Done Had He Lived Long Enough To Complete It," Was

The Lady'S Quiet Reply.

"You Do Not Mean To Say That You Are Certain Sir Jasper Made No Such

Provision," Enquired The Lawyer In a Quick And Excited Tone.

"No Document Of That Kind Had Been Executed Prior To The Baronet'S

Death," She Boldly Asserted,  Advancing Towards Him. "Now Listen To Me:

Providing The Will In Question Be Not Forthcoming After The Funeral,  The

Law Will Declare You Heir To The Estate. Now,  If You Swear To Me By All

That You Hold Most Sacred,  That You Will Allow Me One Thousand Per Annum

And A Suite Of Apartments At Vellenaux So Long As I Shall Live,  No Will

Shall Appear,  And Within One Hour After The Body Of The Late Sir Jasper

Has Been Consigned To The Tomb,  You Shall Become Sir Ralph Coleman And

Master Of Vellenaux And Its Broad Lands."

"But," Was The Cautious Reply Of The Wily Lawyer,  "How Know I That Any

Will Has Been Made Or That The Baronet Has Not Kept Faith With Me. Your

Word Is All That I Have To Depend On For The Truth Or Falsity Of The

Statement." He Knew Her To Be An Unscrupulous Woman,  But Shrewd Withal,

And Could Not Bring Himself To Believe That She Would Compromise Herself

So Far As To Have Fraudulently Possessed Herself Of,  Sir Jasper'S

Papers,  Yet Her Language Indicated Very Strongly That Something Of The

Kind Was The Case.

"If She Really Has Them," He Thought,  "One Thousand Per Annum Would Not

Be Too Large A Sum To Purchase Her Silence Concerning Them; And As The

Bargain Would Be A Verbal One,  And Unknown To Any But Ourselves,  She

Could Not Hereafter,  By Any Disclosures That She Might Make,  Convict Me

As An Accomplice To The Transaction." These Thoughts Flashed Through His

Mind Ere She Again Spoke.

"Your Words,  Sir,  Though Not Complimentary To Me,  I Can Excuse,  On

Account Of The Peculiarity Of Your Present Position And Frame Of Mind,

And You Shall Be Satisfied Of The Truth Of That Which You Pretend To

Doubt," And Drawing From Her Pocket Two Papers,  Mrs. Fraudhurst Held

Them With A Firm Grasp Before Him,  But In Such A Position That It

Enabled Him To Read Every Line. "There," She Continued,  In a Low Tone,

"Is The Will In Question,  And The Codicil Which You So Much Depend On;

Are You Satisfied?" Then,  Refolding The Papers Somewhat Hastily,

Replaced Them In Her Dress And Turned To Leave The Room,  Remarking As

She Did So,  "I Shall Return In a Few Moments,  And You Must Make Up Your

Mind As To How You Intend To Act Before I Do So."

Ralph Had Read Every Line And Word,  And Saw How Hopeless Was His Case

Unless He Closed With The Widow'S Offer,  But He Would Make One More

Trial To Obtain The Best Position,  And As She Re-Entered Said,  "Place

Those Documents In My Possession And I Will Swear To Fulfil The Terms

You Propose."

"Not So," She Replied With A Contemptuous Curl On Her Lip,  "They Remain

With Me,  And I Remain Here; There Will Be No Difficulty In That. Of

Course Miss Effingham Must Find Shelter Beneath Your Roof For Some Time

At Least,  And As You Are A Single Man,  You Will Require Some One To

Superintend Your Establishment Until The Future Lady Coleman Shall

Appear On The Scene,  And Ere That Event Takes Place,  Other Arrangements

Can Be Made. Accept My Conditions And You Become One Of The Wealthiest

Men In The County. Reject Them,  And I Immediately Place Both Documents

In The Hands Of The Late Baronet'S Lawyer,  Who Is Now In The House. I

Have Merely To Say That I Gathered Them From The Floor Of The Study,  On

The Morning Of Sir Jasper'S Death,  And That,  In The Hurry And Excitement

Of The Moment,  Carried Them To My Own Room,  Unconscious Of Their

Importance,  Until This Morning. This Statement,  True Or Otherwise,  Will

Suffice To Account For Their Being In My Possession"

Ralph Coleman Would Have Still Hesitated,  But Her'S Being The Stronger

Will Of The Two,  He Succumbed,  Took The Required Oath,  And The Compact

Between Them Was Complete. No Sooner Was This Effected Than Both Parties

Left The Place Of Meeting In The Same Order As They Entered.

Having Carried Her Point And Thus Secured For Herself A Comfortable

Income,  Together With A Handsome Suite Of Apartments Within The Walls Of

Vellenaux,  Which She Very Naturally Concluded Would Be A Permanent Home,

At Least During The Life Of Sir Ralph,  He Being Completely In Her Power,

As She Could At Any Time,  By The Production Of The Late Baronet'S Will,

Drive Him Ignominiously From His Present Luxurious Abode. It Is True,  In

Effecting This She Would Have To Seek Refuge In a Foreign Land,  Yet A

Vindictive Spirit Will Often,  As The Old Adage Runs,  Cut Off The Nose To

Be Revenged On The Face.

Having Gained The Mastery Of The Position,  She Turned Her Thoughts In

The Direction Of The New Baronet With A View Of Inducing Him To Submit

To The Matrimonial Yoke And By That Means Establish Herself As

Vellenaux'S Envied Mistress With The Prefix Of Lady Before Her Name.

However,  She Could Afford To Bide Her Time,  Feeling Certain That In The

Long Run Sir Ralph Would Yield,  Her Stronger Will Working On His Fears.

The Funeral Was Over. The Family Vault Of The Coleman'S In The Quaint

Old Church,  A Little Beyond The Park Limits,  Had Received The Mortal

Remains Of The Worthy Man,  Who For Forty Years Had Attended Divine

Service Within That Sacred Edifice Where The Last Sad Rite For The

Departed Had Just Been Performed. It Had Been A Solemn And Imposing

Ceremony. The Cortege Passed Slowly And Silently Down The Broad Avenue

Of Venerable Elms,  Through The Park Gate And Up The Road Leading To The

Old Church Yard. The Superbly Mounted Coffin,  Borne On Its Funeral

Hearse,  Whose Black Plumes,  Undulated In The Soft Winds That Sighed

Through The Trees,  Was Drawn By Six Velvet Palled Horses,  And

Accompanied By Mutes,  Pall Bearers And Others In all The Solemn

Paraphernalia Of Woe,  Followed By The Mourning Coaches,  And The Long

Line Of Private Carriages,  Some Occupied And Others Empty,  For By One Of

The Conventionalities Of English Well-Bred Society,  One Can Be Present

On Such Occasions By Proxy. Your Carriage Will Suffice,  Should You Not

Feel Equal To The Task Of Attending In Person. The Full,  Deep,  Rich

Tones Of The Organ Poured Forth The Funeral Dirge,  As The Coffin Was

Carried Up The Centre Aisle And Placed On Trussels In Front Of The

Altar. The Pews,  Gallery And Aisles Were Filled By Rich And Poor; So

Much Had The Late Baronet Been Respected By Friend And Tenant. The

Venerable Rector Who Performed The Service,  Although Accustomed To Such

Scenes,  Was Deeply Affected. He Had Been On The Most Intimate Terms With

Sir Jasper,  And Had Never Solicited His Kind Offices On Behalf Of The

Poor In Vain. Besides,  He Was More Advanced In Years Than The Friend

Whom He Had Now Consigned To The Cold Embraces Of The Grave,  For Were

Not His Own Days Numbered And Must Soon Draw To A Close?

As The Different Parties Separated On The Conclusion Of The Ceremony,

Various Were The Comments And Conjectures As To The Manner In Which Sir

Jasper Had Divided His Property,  And It Was Almost Universally Believed

That Miss Edith Would Come In For A Greater Part Of His Wealth And The

Estate Of Vellenaux Would Undoubtedly Become Hers.

Sir Ralph,  As He Must Now Be Called,  And Others Interested In Such

Proceedings,  Returned,  To Vellenaux To Examine And Hear Read The Will

And Such Other Documents Relating To The Distribution Of The Property

Real And Personal Of The Late Baronet,  And Great Was The Surprise Of All

Present Except One,  When It Was Announced That,  After The Strictest

Search,  No Will Or Other Document Of The Kind Had Been Found Among The

Papers Of The Late Baronet. Mr. Russell,  A Man Of Integrity,  And Well

Known For The Uprightness Of His Dealings,  And Who Had For Upwards Of

Thirty Years Transacted All The Legal Business And Had The Management Of

The Estate Of The Late Sir Jasper,  Declared That,  To The Best Of His

Knowledge No Will Had Been Made. This Was Followed By A Statement From

Sir Ralph To The Effect That It Was But A Few Weeks Since,  That His

Cousin,  The Late Sir Jasper Coleman,  Had Declared To Him His Intention

Of Making A Will In His (Sir Ralph'S) Favor. Miss Effingham,