Page:Dickens - Our Mutual Friend, ed. Lang, 1897, vol.1.djvu/45

 " Venerable parent," Mortimer repeats with a passing remembrance that there is a Veneering at table, and for the first time addressing him—" dies. "

The gratified Veneering repeats, gravely, " dies; " and folds his arms, and composes his brow to hear it out in a judicial manner, when he finds himself again deserted in the bleak world.

" His will is found, " says Mortimer, catching Mrs Podsnap's rocking-horse’s eye. " It is dated very soon after the son's flight. It leaves the lowest of the range of dust-mountains, with some sort of a dwelling-house at its foot, to an old servant who is sole executor, and all the rest of the property—which is very considerable—to the son. He directs himself to be buried with certain eccentric ceremonies and precautions against his coming to life, with which I need not bore you, and that's all—except— " and this ends the story.

The Analytical Chemist returning, everybody looks at him. Not because anybody wants to see him, but because of that subtle influence in nature which impels humanity to embrace the slightest opportunity of looking at anything, rather than the person who addresses it.

" —Except that the son's inheriting is made conditional on his marrying a girl, who at the date of the will, was a child of four or five years old, and who is now a marriageable young woman. Advertisement and inquiry discovered the son in the man from Somewhere, and at the present moment, he is on his way home from there—no doubt, in a state of great astonishment—to succeed to a very large fortune, and to take a wife. "

Mrs Podsnap inquires whether the young person is a young person of personal charms? Mortimer is unable to report.

Mr Podsnap inquires what would become of the very large fortune, in the event of the marriage condition not being fulfilled? Mortimer replies, that by special testamentary clause it would then go to the old servant above mentioned,