The Mission of Poubalov — page 237: what you’re looking at

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

POUBALOV SUCCEEDS. 233 ence and the occasion of it. Your mother married against the wishes of your Uncle Charles, her elder brother and her guardian, and when she was left a widow he declined to help her. You Uncle Matthew was kinder, and when she died he took you into his own home. Charles was apparently relentless to the end, and there was never any - communication between you and him; but when he died, a short time ago, it was found that he had remembered you in his will. Twodays before the wedding day Mr. Pembroke was notified that you were heiress to one hundred thousand dollarsif you were unmarried. The will provided that in the event of your being a maiden, the entire sum was to be held by Matthew Pembroke, and administered by him in your interest. If you were mar- ried, twenty-five thousand dollars was to be set aside for you, and the balance was to go to educational institutions specifically named. ‘“‘Mr. Pembroke was worrying about his obligation to Dexter, which he could not meet, and in his fretting he mentioned this to Dexter. He did not tell you at first, because he feared you might think you ought to postpone your wedding, and he did not regard such etiquette as necessary. Without saying a word to Pembroke, this wretch, Dexter, plotted and effected the abduction, thus compelling you to remain a maiden. The bequest was immediately available and he brought all possible pres- sure to bear upon Mr. Pembroke to make use of it for wip- ing out the debt. It was absolute ruin to him if he did not. Mr. Pembroke suspected Dexter, but what could he do? He had nothing but improbable conjecture to work upon, and Dexter applied the screws mercilessly. They went to New York to make arrangements for collecting the inheritance. While there they were both in terror lest you discover the truth, for once at least you saw them with the man who could have revealed the financial secret of the situation. You remember looking in at the hotel entrance and seeing Dexter, your uncle and a third man walking in the corridor? The third man was the executar. (@) (0)