Page:Arthur Stringer--The House of Intrigue.djvu/157

Rh ter-apple, Enoch Tweedie Bartlett, stood there quite as serenely, with his hand cupped behind his ear and an expression of patient benevolence on his wrinkled face. And the snipe-nosed old lawyer at the bedside seemed equally unconscious of his surroundings, for, having quietly motioned Brother Enoch to advance toward the bed, he proceeded to take out a gold banded fountain-pen, fold back the document which he held, and address his professional attentions to me.

"Is that, my child, exactly as you wished?" he solemnly inquired.

Ezra and Enoch Bartlett stood on one side of the bed, Doctor Klinger and Theobald Scripps stood on the other. At the footboard was posted the trained nurse.

They made a pretty formidable-looking guard as they stood there, intent and motionless, fixing me with their five pairs of eyes. But I'd had a second idea suddenly come to me. And I'd decided on my next move.

"Yes, of course, exactly as you wished!" somewhat impatiently purred the man of law, stooping down and preparing to place the document where I could sign it.

"No, it's not!" I said.