The Argosy — page 366: what you’re looking at

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

————————e oer or Aunt Paradox. 345 “Do you think my uncle destroyed it?” asked Richard Damer. “No, I do not,” said the lawyer: a stout, red-faced man with white hair and whiskers, who wore silver-rimmed spectacles. ‘‘ It’s not more than three or four weeks ago that he was talking about it to me—lI’m sure it was all safe then. He felt inclined to make a slight alteration in the will, he said, by increasing the annuities left to Gatty and Mrs. Peat. In the will they stood, Gatty’s at forty pounds per annum, the housekeeper’s at thirty—as I have already informed you, Mr. Richard. Mr. Damer thought he should augment each of them by ten pounds. I feel sure he would have done it.” “Was anything left to Mrs. Paradox? I don’t think you have told me that.” “Nothing at all. Nothing whatever.” A glow of satisfaction illumined young Damer’s face. ‘‘ Halleluia!” he breathed, irreverently. ““T told Mr. Damer that any such little alteration could be made by a short codicil, without disturbing the will,” resumed the lawyer. ““ He answered that of course it could, and he would talk further with me the next time I came: he had only mentioned this when I was on the point of departing and I could not wait.” “* And did he talk of it with you the next time ?” “No,” said Mr. Stephon. ‘‘ The next time I went down—about a week afterwards—I found him suffering from one of those sick headaches to which he was subject, and no business of any kind was entered upon. ‘That was the last time I saw him. In a few days J was summoned in haste to Ireland, and he died the very evening of my departure. You are aware, I conclude,” added Mr. Stephon, after a pause, ‘‘ that a letter addressed to me, and ready for the post, lay on the table by his side when he was found dead ?” “Yes, I think Gatty told me so,” replied Richard. ““Gatty posted the letter to me that same night, and my clerk for- warded it to me in Ireland. It contained only a few brief words— you shall see it—asking me to come down to him the following afternoon.” ‘‘ About the codicil, do you think ?” | “T have thought so. There was no other matter, so far as I know, that he could want me for just now.” ‘I wonder if he said anything to Gatty about it? He used to like to talk to old Gatty; put a goodish bit of confidence in him. I fancy lonely people do when a servant has been with them for many years. Here is Gatty, coming in with the tray,” broke off Richard ** Let us ask him.” The butler, a portly, respectable, honest man of five-and-fifty years, put his luncheon tray on the table. He was disposing the plates about when Richard spoke to him. | ‘“Gatty, you remember that letter you found on the table by your late master’s side? Did he say anything to you about it ?” COMM|E DOOKS .G