Page:Gissing - The Nether World, vol. II, 1889.djvu/198

 die unmarried before attaining her twenty-first birthday, the money bequeathed to her was to be distributed among certain charities.

“It’s my belief there’s a crank in the old fellow,” exclaimed Joseph. “Is he really such a fool as to think Jane won’t use the money for herself? And what about Kirkwood? I tell you what it is; he’s a deep fellow, is Kirkwood. I wish you knew him.”

Scawthorne confessed that he had the same wish, but added that there was no chance of its being realised; prudence forbade any move in that direction.

“If he marries her,” questioned Joseph, “will the money be his?”

“No; it will be settled on her. But it comes to very much the same thing; there’s to be no restraint on her discretion in using it.”

“She might give her affectionate parent a hundred or so now and then, if she chose?”

“If she chose.”

Scawthorne began a detailed inquiry into the humanitarian projects of which Joseph had given but a rude and contemptuous