The Argosy — page 336: what you’re looking at

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

A Freak of Fortune. 317 that nothing short of a miracle could enable him to surmount the obstacles which no unaided efforts of his own could possibly remove. Such was the unpromising state of things when, one morning towards the end of October, Maitre Guérizot, the much respected notary of the Rue Geoffroy-Marie, busily engaged in perusing a pile of letters placed for his inspection on the table of his private room, summoned his head clerk through the medium of an orifice in the wall communicating with the outer office. ‘““M. Fréjacques,” he said, on the appearance of that functionary, (the notary was always scrupulously polite to his subordinates), ‘here is a paper that must be attended to immediately. Maitre Lhuillier, my colleague at Gisors, has forwarded it to me that it may be re- sistered and delivered to the proper authorities; and as it concerns a client of his, lately deceased, he is anxious to have the matter settled without delay.” M. Fréjacques stared. ‘‘I should have thought, monsieur,” he said, ‘‘that the necessary formalities might as easily have been com- pleted at Gisors as in Paris.” “In ordinary cases certainly,” replied the notary. ‘ But the indi- vidual in question has died intestate, and as it would seem that no relative or other legitimate heir to his property can be found, it naturally goes to the state. But,” he continued, ‘‘1t will be necessary to have the deed recopied, for my good friend’s handwriting is so illegible that even I, who am accustomed to strange specimens of penmanship, have had some difficulty in deciphering it. As it must be read before it 1s registered, the people at the office might be forced to have recourse to an expert in autographs in order to discover what it means. Give it to one of your young men, and let me see it when it 1s finished.” ‘“‘T will give it to Lapeyrie,” answered the head clerk as he left the room. Maitre Guérizot, after regaling himself with a pinch of snuff, opened another letter, and was soon absorbed in its contents. A quarter of an hour later, M. Fréjacques reappeared, and _ in- formed his principal that Lapeyrie, the clerk whom he had charged with the copying of the deed, wished to speak with him. ‘Tet him come in,” said the notary rather testily, for he disliked being interrupted. ‘‘ Well, what is it?” he inquired, as Maurice, holding in his hand the document entrusted to him, entered the room. “T beg your pardon, monsieur,” replied the latter in an unusually excited tone, “but this paper, if I understand it rightly, sets forth that the money and other goods belonging to the late M. Justin Isidore Chaumontel, in default of natural heirs, become the property of the state.” “Of course they do,” said Maitre Guérizot impatiently. ‘ Why do you ask ?” ‘Because, monsieur, the writer has evidently been misinformed. ) ECoOnniclooolkks (CO)