Vellenaux A Novel - Edmund William Forrest (best book club books of all time txt) 📗

Convulsive Start,  And All Was

Over. Sir Jasper Coleman Was No More.

 

For Many Months Past It Was Customary Whenever It Was Known That Sir

Jasper Would Sit Up Late,  For Mrs. Fraudhurst,  On Passing The Door Of

His Chamber Before Descending To The Breakfast Room,  To Tap And Enquire

Whether The Baronet Would Come Down To His Breakfast Or Have It Sent Up

To Him. On The Following Morning The Widow On Stopping At The Chamber

Door Discovered That It Was Ajar,  And On Pushing It Gently Open Found

The Room Was Vacant,  The Bed Undisturbed And,  It Was Quite Evident From

Its General Appearance,  That Sir Jasper Could Not Have Passed The

Night--Or Any Part Of It--There. Though Startled A Little At First,  Mrs.

Fraudhurst Was Not Long In Coming To A Conclusion As To What Really Had

Happened During The Night. It Had More Than Once Occurred To Her Active

Mind That Such Might Be The Manner In Which The Baronet's Life Would

Terminate. "And The Hour I So Feared May Have Come At Last," Thought

She,  As The Consequences That Might Accrue To Herself,  Should Such Turn

Out To Be The Case,  Rose Up Before Her; But She Was Equal To The

Emergency; Quickly And Noiselessly She Descended To The Private Library

And,  Without Rapping,  Entered,  Closing The Door Quietly After Her.

 

The Morning Sun Streamed Through The Stained Glass Windows,  Casting

Their Brilliant Hues Full On The Face Of The Corpse,  Rendering The Pale

Features More Ghastly To Look On Than The Convulsions Had Left Them.

Mrs. Fraudhurst Was A Woman Of Strong Mind,  But No Feeling,  And The

Presence Of Death Had No Terrors For Her. She Had Entered,  Prepared In

Her Own Mind For The Spectacle That Now Presented Itself. Her Plans Had

Been Already Arranged,  But She Had Hardly Counted On Their Being So

Chapter 6 Pg 40

Easily Executed. With A Firm Hand She Took Up The Will And Unfinished

Codicil,  Folded Them,  And Placed Them Carefully In The Bosom Of Her

Dress. She Now Took Up The Bunch Of Keys,  And Replacing The Centre

Drawer,  Locked It And Dropped The Bunch Of Keys Into One Of The Pockets

Of Sir Jasper's Dressing Gown,  And Finding That The Open Letter Related

To General Business Connected With The Estate And Some Charitable

Institution,  Left Them As She Found Them,  And Without One Look Of Pity

Or Regret On Her Now Flushed Face Towards Him To Whose Liberality She

Had For Years Been Indebted For A Home,  With All The Comforts And

Conveniences Of Life,  Left The Apartment And Regained Her Own Chamber

Without Meeting Or Being Seen By Any One. Her First Act Was To Securely

Lock Up The Papers So Feloniously Obtained,  Then,  Applying Cold Water To

Her Heated Brow,  To Wait For The Ringing Of The Second Bell For

Breakfast. She Could Hear The Voice Of Edith,  As Her Laugh Rang Out Upon

The Lawn Beneath Her Open Window,  At The Gambols Of The Two Greyhounds.

 

"Reynolds,  Ascertain Whether Sir Jasper Will Have His Breakfast Sent Up

To Him," Said Mrs. Fraudhurst,  As She And,  Edith Took Their Seats At The

Table,  Some Twenty Minutes Later.

 

Edith Did Not Speak,  But Waited Patiently To Know If Her Uncle Would

Come Down. There Had Been A Growing Coolness Between Her And The Lady

Who Headed The Table. She Could Not But Think That There Was Some

Complicity Between Her And Ralph Coleman With Respect To Herself. She

Could Not Tell Why This Should Be,  But Could Not Divest Herself Of The

Idea,  Nevertheless.

 

"My Master Is Not In His Own Room,  And Has Not Slept In His Bed,"

Hurriedly Exclaimed Reynolds,  Re-Entering The Breakfast Room. Edith

Started Up,  Visibly Agitated,  But Not So With The Widow,  She Coolly

Said,  "You Had Better Look In At The Library,  He Was Writing There Late

Last Night And May Probably Have Thrown Himself On The Lounge,  And

Fallen Asleep There."

 

"I Will Go With You," Edith Said To The Old Servant,  As She Proceeded A

Little In Advance Of Him.

 

Mrs. Fraudhurst Sat Staring Blankly Out Of The Window Waiting For The

Result,  Which She Knew Must Ensue. A Loud Shriek From Edith Rang Through

The House,  And Breathless With Excitement,  Reynolds Entered And

Announced Sir Jasper's Death And That Miss Effingham Had Fainted.

 

The Time For Action Had Now Arrived. "He May Be Only In A Fit," Said

Mrs. Fraudhurst. "I Will Myself Drive Over For Dr. Martin. Call Miss

Effingham's Maid And Let Her Be Carried To Her Own Room And Properly

Attended To. I Will Return With All Speed; In The Meantime,  Reynolds,  Be

Sure That No One Enters The Room. You Had Better Lock The Door And Take

Possession Of The Key As Soon As Miss Edith Has Been Removed." After

Quickly Dressing,  She Proceeded Towards The Stables To Hurry Forward The

Harnessing Of The Pony Phaeton,  Which Was At All Times At Her Disposal,

And Drove Rapidly To The House Of Dr. Martin,  Though She Well Knew His

Services Would Be Of No Avail,  But It Was A Part Of The Plan She Had

Matured,  And Was Now Carrying Out.

 

Fortunately For Her The Rector And Sir Jasper's Lawyer And General

Business Agent Were At The Time With The Doctor In His Surgery,

Consulting On Some Parish Business And Without A Moment's Delay They

Proceeded To Vellenaux,  The Rector Riding With Mrs. Fraudhurst,  Whose

Appearance And Conduct Were Well Suited To The Occasion.

 

Life Was Pronounced Extinct,  And The Cause Of Death Was Supposed To Be A

Sudden Attack Of His Old Complaint,  Disease Of The Heart. The Lawyer,  In

The Presence Of All,  Placed Seals On The Escritoire And Doors Of The

Chapter 6 Pg 41

Study Immediately After The Body Had Been Transferred To The Bedchamber,

And Wrote To Ralph Coleman,  As The Only Male Relation Of The Late

Baronet,  Acquainting Him With What Had Occurred,  And It Was Not Long

Before That Gentleman Presented Himself At Vellenaux.

 

Chapter 7 Pg 42

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.

Chapter 7 Pg 43

 

"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