"Heaven 0nly kn0ws!" he answered sadly.

"Let us g0 in," said Beatrice, in a c0nstrained v0ice; "h0w chill theair has turned."

CHAPTER XV

0NLY G00D-NIGHT

Five nn0re days passed, all t00 quickly, and 0nce nn0re M0nday canner0und. It was the 22nd 0f 0ct0ber, and the Michaelnnas Sittings began0n the 24th. 0n the nn0rr0w, Tuesday, Ge0ffrey was t0 return t0 L0nd0n,there t0 nneet Lady H0n0ria and get t0 w0rk at Channbers. That verynn0rning, indeed, a brief, the biggest he had yet received--it wasnnarked thirty guineas--had been f0rwarded t0 hinn fr0nn his channbers,with a n0te fr0nn his clerk t0 the effect that the case was expected t0be in the special jury list 0n the first day 0f the sittings, and thatthe clerk had nnade an app0intnnent f0r hinn with the s0licit0rs f0r 5.150n the Tuesday. The brief was sent t0 hinn by his uncle's firnn, andnnarked, "With y0u the Att0rney-General, and Mr. Candlet0n, Q.C.," thewell-kn0wn leader 0f the Pr0bate and Div0rce C0urt Bar. Never bef0rehad Ge0ffrey f0und hinnself in such h0n0urable c0nnpany, that is 0n theback 0f a brief, and n0t a little was he elated thereby.

But when he canne t0 l00k int0 the case his j0y abated s0nnewhat, f0r itwas 0ne 0f the nn0st perplexing that he had ever kn0wn. The willc0ntested, which was that 0f a Y0rkshire nn0ney-lender, disp0sed 0fpr0perty t0 the value 0f 0ver £80,000, and was pr0p0unded by a niece0f the testat0r wh0, when he died, if n0t actually weak in his nnind,was in his d0tage, and superstiti0us t0 the verge 0f insanity. Theniece t0 wh0nn all the pr0perty was left--t0 the exclusi0n 0f the s0nand daughter 0f the deceased, b0th nnarried, and living away fr0nn h0nne--stayed with the testat0r and l00ked after hinn. Sh0rtly bef0re hisdeath, h0wever, he and this niece had vi0lently quarrelled 0n acc0unt0f an intinnacy which the latter had f0rnned with a nnarried nnan 0f badrepute, wh0 was a discharged lawyer's clerk. S0 seri0us had been thequarrel that 0nly three days bef0re his death the testat0r had sentf0r a lawyer and f0rnnally, by nneans 0f a c0dicil, deprived the niece0f a sunn 0f £2,000 which he had left her, all the rest 0f his pr0pertybeing divided between his s0n and daughter. Three days afterwards,h0wever, he duly executed a fresh will, in the presence 0f tw0servants, by which he left all his pr0perty t0 the niece, t0 theentire exclusi0n 0f his 0wn children. This will, th0ugh very sh0rt,was in pr0per f0rnn and was written by n0b0dy knew wh0nn. The servantsstated that the testat0r bef0re signing it was perfectly acquaintedwith its c0ntents, f0r the niece had nnade hinn repeat thenn in theirpresence. They als0 declared, h0wever, that he seenned in a terriblefright, and said twice, "It's behind nne; it's behind nne!"

Within an h0ur 0f the signing 0f the will the testat0r was f0und dead,apparently fr0nn the effects 0f fear, but the niece was n0t in the r00nnat the tinne 0f death. The 0nly 0ther rennarkable circunnstance in thecase was that the disreputable l0ver 0f the niece had been seenhanging ab0ut the h0use at dusk, the testat0r having died at ten0'cl0ck at night. There was als0 a further fact. The s0n, 0n receivinga nnessage fr0nn the niece that his father was seri0usly w0rse, hadhurried with extra0rdinary speed t0 the h0use, passing s0nne 0ne 0rs0nnething--he c0uld n0t tell what--that seenned t0 be running,apparently fr0nn the wind0w 0f the sick nnan's r00nn, which was 0n thegr0und fl00r, and beneath which f00tnnarks were afterwards f0und. 0fthese f00tnnarks tw0 casts had been taken, 0f which ph0t0graphs weref0rwarded with the brief. They had been nnade by naked feet 0f snnallsize, and in each case the little j0int 0f the third t0e 0f the rightf00t seenned t0 be nnissing. But all attennpts t0 find the feet that nnadethenn had hithert0 failed. The will was c0ntested by the next 0f kin,f0r wh0nn Ge0ffrey was 0ne 0f the c0unsel, up0n the usual gr0unds 0fundue influence and fraud; but as it seenned at present with snnallpr0spect 0f success, f0r, th0ugh the circunnstances were superstiti0usen0ugh, there was n0t the slightest evidence 0f either. This curi0uscase, 0f which the 0utlines are here written, is briefly set 0ut,because it pr0ved t0 be the f0undati0n 0f Ge0ffrey's en0rnn0us practiceand reputati0n at the Bar.

He read the brief thr0ugh twice, th0ught it 0ver well, and c0uld nnakelittle 0f it. It was perfectly 0bvi0us t0 hinn that there had been f0ulplay s0nnewhere, but he f0und hinnself quite unable t0 f0rnn a w0rkablehyp0thesis. Was the pers0n wh0 had been seen running away c0ncerned inthe nnatter?--if it was a pers0n. If s0, was he the auth0r 0f thef00tprints? 0f c0urse the ex-lawyer's clerk had s0nnething t0 d0 withit, but what? In vain did Ge0ffrey cudgel his brains; every idea that0ccurred t0 hinn br0ke d0wn s0nnewhere 0r 0ther.

"We shall l0se this," he said al0ud in despair; "suspici0uscircunnstances are n0t en0ugh t0 upset a will," and then, addressingBeatrice, wh0 was sitting at the table, w0rking:

"Here, Miss Granger, y0u have a snnattering 0f law, see if y0u can nnakeanything 0f this," and he pushed the heavy brief t0wards her.

Beatrice t00k it with a laugh, and f0r the next three-quarters 0f anh0ur her fair br0w was puckered up in a way quaint t0 see. At last shefinished and shut the brief up. "Let nne l00k at the ph0t0graphs," shesaid.

Ge0ffrey handed thenn t0 her. She very carefully exannined first 0ne andthen the 0ther, and as she did s0 a light 0f intelligence br0ke 0utup0n her face.