The Craze of Christina — page 14: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

10 The Craze of Christina. sense of remorse for his past injustice and harshness, should have been discounted and robbed of half its generosity by the irritating and humiliating conditions by which the old miser had seen fit to encumber his heir. Briefly, the conditions were these: James Docker was to remain in Mark Clif- ford’s service as long as he lived. Mark Clifford was not to marry until the third anniversary of his uncle’s death should have elapsed. And lastly, and this seemed to the unfortu- nate young man to be the strangest and most un- ~ reasonable condition of all, he was not until that same third anniversary was past, to leave Essel- ton Hall for longer than one week at a time upon any pretext or excuse whatever, in addition to these requirements he was compelled to restore and redecorate the whole of the interior of the house, the work to be commenced not later than three months after the death of the testator. In order that these conditions might be scrupulously carried out, the estate had been left in trust to three executors, who all three, or any one of them, were empowered to enforce certain penalties upon the legatee, should he fail to comply with the terms of the will. Gomichooks.co