Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 11.pdf/534

 Leaves from an English Solicitors Note Book.

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day and witness the wills with me. I there sister's death. I read on carefully and fore felt I should best save the old ladies steadily, and congratulated myself on the trouble and worry by sending Harrington way everything had been provided for. Be down in my stead. The signing of the fore replacing the wills in the envelope I wills without delay had been advised by Dr. glanced at the signature and attestation Harrington, who had told me that the elder clauses. Horror of horrors! I found that sister Mary suffered from a weak heart, and by mistake Mary had signed the will prepared was liable to die suddenly. My business in for Margaret to sign, and Margaret had London kept me there for the best part of signed Mary's will. ten days, during which time I received a This story of an actual incident happening letter from Harrington telling me that the to me in the course of my late professional wills had been duly signed and witnessed, and career is written at the invitation of the editor were locked up in their proper place of of The Green Bag, for the perusal of custody in the strong room of my office, so members of my own (late) profession. I I thought no more of the matter. On my feel I shall have the hearty sympathy of each return Harrington confided to me that he reader, at the cruel position in which I found had made the best of his opportunity, and myself placed. After a fairly long profes had spoken to pretty Dorothy the tender sional life I may say with some pride that words suitable to the situation, and that he never up to that moment had I had any slur hoped one day to make her Mrs. Cecil Har of professional negligence hanging over my rington. And so the matter passed from my office; close attention to the smallest details mind. Harrington left my office soon after of my work had given me hitherto a rather wards, passed his examination, was admitted, good reputation as a careful, painstaking and started in practice in the town where his practitioner, and now after twenty-five years father lived. of more or less success in my profession I About two years after this had happened I had been overtaken, by sheer misfortune, was shocked to receive a hastily written letter through no fault of my own. My position was a cruel one, and I am afraid that in the from Dr. Harrington, sent in by a special mes senger, to tell me that the elder sister Mary solitude of that railway carriage, like the old had died very suddenly, and urging me to patriarch Job in the day of his accumulated go to Croomedene at once to see after things, trials, I bitterly cursed the day whereon I was born. as the surviving sister Margaret was com pletely stunned by the sudden blow of her I hope my readers will forgive me if I plead sister's death, and was lying, if not uncon guilty to having for a moment harbored a scious herself, at least incapable of attending temptation which the evil spirit was not slow to anything. I put everything else on one to open out to my mind. I certainly scru side, and getting the wills out of their place of tinized very closely the signature to Mary's custody hurried off by the first train to the will to see if by careful manipulation the little railway station two miles from the Margaret could not be altered, by erasing cottage. Seated alone in the railway carriage, the last four letters so as to stand good for and having a long hour's journey before me, Mary. I took the wills out of the envelope in which The temptation was terrible, but a good they had been folded, intending to refresh Providence had made the suggested crime my- memory by reading over the provisions impossible of performance, the attestation taking effect on the death of the survivor, so clause in Cecil Harrington's own writing set as to see that all was right if the surviving out that the signature to the will headed the sister should not get over this shock of her last will and testament of Mary, was signed