The Argosy — page 103: what you’re looking at

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86 In the Dead of Night. But everything must come to an end, and after a time there came a summons from Mr. Perrins. Lionel was wanted down at Park Newton. The old lawyer could go on no longer without him. So Edith and he were compelled to bid each other farewell for a week or two. Mean- while, the post was to be the daily medium for the interchange of their vows and messages. CHAPTER VI. FIRST DAYS AT PARK NEWTON. THE dining-room at Park Newton. A cosy little table, with covers set for two people, was drawn up near the fire. The evening was cold and > frosty. The wax-candles were lighted, the logs on the hearth burned cheerily. A large Indian screen shut in this end of the room from the wilderness of gloom and desolation beyond; for the dining-room at Park Newton would accommodate fifty or sixty guests with ease. The clock on the mantel-piece pointed to ten minutes past seven. Lionel Dering was growing impatient. ‘“‘Perrins is generally punctuality itself,” he said. ‘‘ What can have detained him? I hope he is not ill.” He was on the point of ringing the bell, and sending the servant with a message to the lawyers room, when Mr. Perrins came in. With many apologies for being late, he sat down to table; but Lionel saw at once that he was bursting with some important news. As soon as the first course was served, and the servant had left the room, Perrins began. ‘‘T have some very startling information for you, Mr. Dering,” he said. ‘* My late arrival at table is owing to a certain discovery which I made about an hour ago.” ‘‘T hope you are not going to tell me that my eleven thousand a year is all moonshine,” said Lionel, as he helped the lawyer to some clear soup. ‘““No, no, Mr. Dering. The news I have to tell you is not quite so bad as that, and yet it is bad enough in all conscience. While going through some of your uncle’s papers this afternoon—you know what a quantity of them there are, and in what disorder he kept them—while engaged upon this necessary duty, I discovered—what think you, sir? what think you? ” ‘ “ Another will, I suppose,” said Lionel, slowly. “Not another will, but a codicil, sir; a codicil to the will with whose provisions we are already acquainted; in the handwriting of the testator himself, witnessed in due form, and dated only three months ago!” “And what may be the contents of this important document?” asked Lionel, as he crumbled his bread with apparent indifference, — Eomichbooks.co