Joseph Wilmot, or, The Memoirs of a Man-Servant — page 282: what you’re looking at

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

a very contrary—it was only as recently as last | 3? evening “Tt may be so,” responded the Corsican; “ be- Ciuse it was only this morning that a statement ofa particular nature was made to the Commis- soners. What the precise terms of that state- m2nt might have been, I cannot tell you, because they have not transpired: but I happen to be aciuainted with one of Signor Leone’s counsel, wh» informed me this afternoon, in the course of conversation, of what had come to his knowledge. As you may suppose, the existence of the Commis- sion has furnished active employment to all the attornies and advocates of Ajaccio; and it has done even more. It has puta number of enter- prising agents and men of business upon the scent to ferret out pedigrees, to trace genealogics, and to examine into musty title-deeds. Some ef these individuals, more speculative than the rest, have taken the trouble and gone to the expense of sending agents to foreign countries to search out those who may now claim Corsican estates : aud wherever the slightest clue has been obtained to the residences of such possible claimants, these azents have set themselves to work. I must now iaform you that there is a keen shrewd man of business at Ajaccio, named Castelli; and this person has been more active as well as more suc- e-ssful than any other in ferreting the descendants of ancient families who years and years back had their estates forcibly taken from them or other- wise unjustly alienated. It was not to be supposed that so fine a domain as that of Monte d’Oro, together with the possibly contingent claim on tle patrimony of St. Bartholomew, would escape the notice of so shrewd and enterprising a man as this Castelli. By some means or another he dis- covered a clue to the lineal descendants, as he believes, of the last Count of Monte d’Oro: he has spared no expense in following up this clue, with the hope that a successfully conducted suit will be productive of an ample gain to himself; and it was to some far-distant country that he despatched a trusty agent. That agent returned to Ajaccio last evening by a vessel from a ioreign port; and tiis morning, as I have already told you, Signor Castelli made some important private announce- ment to the Royal Commissioners. At this pcint my knowledge of the case stops: but it is ru- moured that the researches of Castel!i’s agent have b2en successful, and that a lineal descendant of the last Count of Monte d’Oro will at some early day be forthcoming.” “These will be evil tidings to Sienor Leone,” I observed. “He is however well off But,’ I said, interrupting myself, “it does not follow that because a claimant to the Monte d’Oro title and property should be forthcoming, he will likewise be enabled to claim the patrimony of St. Bar- tholomew.” “ Certainly not,” remarked the Corsican gentle- man. “It is however Castelli himself who declares that the patrimony of St. Bartholomew was made over at the time by the Genvese authorities to the Count of Monte d’Oro ‘ * And yet,” I interrupted my informant, “ there does not appear to be any tradition that the Count of Monte d'Oro assumed the lurdsbip of the patri- mony of St. Barthuluwew. On ihe contrary, the ecclesiastical domain. was suffered to become a JOSEPH WILMOT; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF A MAN-SERVANT. waste, save and except with regard to some few portions ne “True,” remarked my Corsican informant: “but if is understood that Signor Castelli explains away the difficulty which has just suggested itself to you as it has suggested itself to others. Castelli says that such was the indignation which prevailed in that part of the country at the time, in conse- quence of the murder of the Abbot, the destruction of the monastery, and the dispersion of the monks, that the Count of Monte d’Oro, ferocious and determined though he were, dared not immediately incorporate the ecclesiastial property with his own estates; but that he bided his time until the lapse of a few years should have smoothed down the memory of his fearful crimes. It is further alleged that he was about to exercise his rights—if rights they may be called—when he met his death by falling over a precipice.” “All this is ingenious evough on Signor Cas- telli’s part,” I said; “and it isno doubt speciously reasoned. But the Commissioners will require proof i “ Assuredly!? answered the Corsican; “ they will require the documentary evidence that the Genoese rulers of the island did really at the time make over the ecclesiastical lands to the Count of Monte d’Oro. If this proof be forthcoming, Cas- tell’s explanation of why the Count did not at once assume possession of those lands, becomes stamped with truth.” ** And how can he even pretend,” I asked, “ to explain matters which occurred upwards of a cen- tury and a half ago ?” ** From the simple fact,’”’ responded the Corsican, “that Castelli’s is an old-established legal azency ; and his ancestors managed the concerns of the Counts of Monte d’Oro.” * Ah, that is different ;” T ejaculated. ‘“ At all events, if a Monte d’Oro claimant should come forward, the case will be one of extraordinary in- terest.’ “Such is the general anticipation,” replied the Corsican gentleman. “ For myself, I have no more personal concern in it than you yourself appear to have: but yet it’s a case in which one feels consi- derable curiosity.” Our discourse soon afterwards terminated; and I retired to rest. Threughout the following day I amused myself by walking about Ajaccio and view- lng whatsoever was worth seeing. Nothing of any consequence occurred ; and in the evening I dined alone in the coffee-room, for the Corsican gentle- man had some other engagement. After breakfast on the ensuing morning I ram. bled forth again: and thus passed three or four hours. IL wondered within myself whether Du- razzo and the young page had followed my counsel in respect to the removal of the treasure duriuz the past night: and I was almost sorry that I had not asked Constantine to write to me from Bastia, — However, as I . could not possibly contemplate any obstacle to his informing me what he had done. complete success, I took it for granted that he had succeeded; and that he was by this time in the possession of an immense fortune. It was about two o'clock when I returned to the hotel to par- take of luncheon; and the moment I entered the coffee-room, the Corsican gentleman, whom I foundi there, started up from a table at which he was OOO) Cc S (CO)