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Page 97
Mrs. Mallathorpe had come nearer. The sight of the half sheet of
foolscap in Eldrick's hands seemed to fascinate her. And the expression
of her face as she came close to his side was so curious that the
solicitor involuntarily folded up the will and hastily put it behind his
back--he had not only seen that expression but had caught sight of Mrs.
Mallathorpe's twitching fingers.
"Is--that--that--another will?" she whispered. "John Mallathorpe's?"
"Precisely the same--another copy--duly signed and witnessed!" answered
Eldrick firmly. "What you foolishly did was done for nothing. And--it's
the most fortunate thing in the world, Mrs. Mallathorpe, that this has
turned up!--most fortunate for you!"
Mrs. Mallathorpe steadied herself on the edge of the table and looked at
him fixedly. "Everything'll have to be given up?" she asked.
"The terms of this will will be carried out," answered Eldrick.
"Will--will they make me give up--what we've--saved?" she whispered.
"Mother!" said Nesta appealingly. "Don't! Come away somewhere and let me
talk to you--come!"
But Mrs. Mallathorpe shook off her daughter's hand and turned again to
Eldrick.
"Will they?" she demanded. "Answer!"
"I don't think you'll find the trustees at all hard when it comes to a
question of account," answered Eldrick. "They'll probably take matters
over from now and ignore anything that's happened during the past two
years."
Again Nesta tried to lead her mother away, and again Mrs. Mallathorpe
pushed the appealing hand from her. All her attention was fixed on
Eldrick. "And--and will the police give me--now--what they found on that
woman?" she whispered.
"I have no doubt they will," replied Eldrick. "It's--yours."
Mrs. Mallathorpe drew a sigh of relief. She looked at the solicitor
steadily for a moment--then without another word she turned and went
away--to find Prydale.
Eldrick turned to Nesta.
"Don't forget," he said in a low voice, "it's a terrible blow to her,
and she's been thinking of your interests! Leave her alone for a
while--she'll get used to the altered circumstances. I'm sorry for
her--and for you!"
But Nesta made a sign of dissent.
"There's no need to be sorry for me, Mr. Eldrick," she answered. "It's a
greater relief than you can realize." She turned from him and went over
to Mrs. Gaukrodger who had watched this scene without fully
comprehending it. "Come with me," she said. "You look very tired and you
must have some tea and rest awhile--come now."
Eldrick and Collingwood, left alone, looked at each, other in silence
for a moment. Then the solicitor shook his head expressively.
"Well, that's over!" he exclaimed. "I must go back and hand this will
over to the two trustees. But you, Collingwood--stay here a bit--if ever
that girl needs company and help, it's now!"
"I'm stopping," said Collingwood.
He remained for a time where Eldrick left him; at last he went down to
the hall and out into the gardens. And presently Nesta came to him
there, and as if with a mutual understanding they walked away into the
nearer stretches of the park. Normandale had never looked more beautiful
than it did that afternoon, and in the midst of a silence which up to
then neither of them had cared to break, Collingwood suddenly turned to
the girl who had just lost it.
"Are you sure that you won't miss all this--greatly?" he asked. "Just
think!"
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