Chapter 2

In
the meantime, to secure, so far as I can, my dear Janet against any
malign stroke of fortune, I have given orders to my factor to remit
semi-annually to Janet one full half of such income as may be derived
in any form from my estate of Croom. It is, I am sorry to say,
heavily mortgaged; but of such as is--or may be, free from such
charge as the mortgage entails--something at least will, I trust,
remain to her. And, my dear boy, I can frankly say that it is to me
a real pleasure that you and I can be linked in one more bond in this
association of purpose. I have always held you in my heart as though
you were my own son. Let me tell you now that you have acted as I
should have liked a son of my own, had I been blessed with one, to
have acted. God bless you, my dear.

Yours ever,
COLIN ALEX. MACKELPIE.

_Letter from Roger Melton_, _of Openshaw Grange_, _to Rupert Sent Leger_,
_Esq._, 14, _Newland Park_, _Dulwich_, _London_, _S.E._

_July_ 1, 1892.

MY DEAR NEPHEW,

Your letter of the 30th ult. received. Have carefully considered
matter stated, and have come to the conclusion that my duty as a
trustee would not allow me to give full consent, as you wish. Let me
explain. The testator, in making her will, intended that such
fortune as she had at disposal should be used to supply to you her
son such benefits as its annual product should procure. To this end,
and to provide against wastefulness or foolishness on your part, or,
indeed, against any generosity, howsoever worthy, which might
impoverish you and so defeat her benevolent intentions regarding your
education, comfort, and future good, she did not place the estate
directly in your hands, leaving you to do as you might feel inclined
about it. But, on the contrary, she entrusted the corpus of it in
the hands of men whom she believed should be resolute enough and
strong enough to carry out her intent, even against any cajolements
or pressure which might be employed to the contrary. It being her
intention, then, that such trustees as she appointed would use for
your benefit the interest accruing annually from the capital at
command, _and that only_ (as specifically directed in the will), so
that on your arriving at full age the capital entrusted to us should
be handed over to you intact, I find a hard-and-fast duty in the
matter of adhering exactly to the directions given. I have no doubt
that my co-trustees regard the matter in exactly the same light.
Under the circumstances, therefore, we, the trustees, have not only a
single and united duty towards you as the object of the testator's
wishes, but towards each other as regards the manner of the carrying
out of that duty. I take it, therefore, that it would not be
consonant with the spirit of the trust or of our own ideas in
accepting it that any of us should take a course pleasant to himself
which would or might involve a stern opposition on the part of other
of the co-trustees. We have each of us to do the unpleasant part of
this duty without fear or favour. You understand, of course, that
the time which must elapse before you come into absolute possession
of your estate is a limited one. As by the terms of the will we are
to hand over our trust when you have reached the age of twenty-one,
there are only seven years to expire. But till then, though I should
gladly meet your wishes if I could, I must adhere to the duty which I
have undertaken. At the expiration of that period you will be quite
free to divest yourself of your estate without protest or comment of
any man.

Having now expressed as clearly as I can the limitations by which I
am bound with regard to the corpus of your estate, let me say that in
any other way which is in my power or discretion I shall be most
happy to see your wishes carried out so far as rests with me.
Indeed, I shall undertake to use what influence I may possess with my
co-trustees to induce them to take a similar view of your wishes. In
my own thinking you are quite free to use your own property in your
own way. But as, until you shall have attained your majority, you
have only life-user in your mother's bequest, you are only at liberty
to deal with the annual increment. On our part as trustees we have a
first charge on that increment to be used for purposes of your
maintenance, clothes, and education. As to what may remain over each
half-year, you will be free to deal with it as you choose. On
receiving from you a written authorization to your trustees, if you
desire the whole sum or any part of it to be paid over to Miss Janet
MacKelpie, I shall see that it is effected. Believe me, that our
duty is to protect the corpus of the estate, and to this end we may
not act on any instruction to imperil it. But there our warranty
stops. We can deal during our trusteeship with the corpus only.
Further, lest there should arise any error on your part, we can deal
with any general instruction for only so long as it may remain
unrevoked. You are, and must be, free to alter your instructions or
authorizations at any time. Thus your latest document must be used
for our guidance.

As to the general principle involved in your wish I make no comment.
You are at liberty to deal with your own how you will. I quite
understand that your impulse is a generous one, and I fully believe
that it is in consonance with what had always been the wishes of my
sister. Had she been happily alive and had to give judgment of your
intent, I am convinced that she would have approved. Therefore, my
dear nephew, should you so wish, I shall be happy for her sake as
well as your own to pay over on your account (as a confidential
matter between you and me), but from my own pocket, a sum equal to
that which you wish transferred to Miss Janet MacKelpie. On hearing
from you I shall know how to act in the matter. With all good
wishes,

Believe me to be,
Your affectionate uncle,
ROGER MELTON.

TO RUPERT SENT LEGER, ESQ.

_Letter from Rupert Sent Leger to Roger Melton_,

_July_ 5, 1892.

MY DEAR UNCLE,

Thank you heartily for your kind letter. I quite understand, and now
see that I should not have asked you as a trustee, such a thing. I
see your duty clearly, and agree with your view of it. I enclose a
letter directed to my trustees, asking them to pay over annually till
further direction to Miss Janet MacKelpie at this address whatever
sum may remain over from the interest of my mother's bequest after
deduction of such expenses as you may deem fit for my maintenance,
clothing, and education, together with a sum of one pound sterling
per month, which was the amount my dear mother always gave me for my
personal use--"pocket-money," she called it.

With regard to your most kind and generous offer to give to my dear
Aunt Janet the sum which I would have given myself, had such been in
my power, I thank you most truly and sincerely, both for my dear aunt
(to whom, of course, I shall not mention the matter unless you
specially authorize me) and myself. But, indeed, I think it will be
better not to offer it. Aunt Janet is very proud, and would not
accept any benefit. With me, of course, it is different, for since I
was a wee child she has been like another mother to me, and I love
her very much. Since my mother died--and she, of course, was
all-in-all to me--there has been no other. And in such a love as
ours pride has no place. Thank you again, dear uncle, and God bless
you.

Your loving nephew,
RUPERT SENT LEGER.

ERNEST ROGER HALBARD MELTON'S RECORD--_Continued_.

And now _re_ the remaining one of Sir Geoffrey's children, Roger. He was
the third child and third son, the only daughter, Patience, having been
born twenty years after the last of the four sons. Concerning Roger, I
shall put down all I have heard of him from my father and grandfather.
From my grand-aunt I heard nothing, I was a very small kid when she died;
but I remember seeing her, but only once. A very tall, handsome woman of
a little over thirty, with very dark hair and light-coloured eyes. I
think they were either grey or blue, but I can't remember which. She
looked very proud and haughty, but I am bound to say that she was very
nice to me. I remember feeling very jealous of Rupert because his mother
looked so distinguished. Rupert was eight years older than me, and I was
afraid he would beat me if I said anything he did not like. So I was
silent except when I forgot to be, and Rupert said very unkindly, and I
think very unfairly, that I was "A sulky little beast." I haven't forgot
that, and I don't mean to. However, it doesn't matter much what he said
or thought. There he is--if he is at all--where no one can find him,
with no money or nothing, for what little he had he settled when he came
of age, on the MacSkelpie. He wanted to give it to her when his mother
died, but father, who was a trustee, refused; and Uncle Roger, as I call
him, who is another, thought the trustees had no power to allow Rupert to
throw away his matrimony, as I called it, making a joke to father when he
called it patrimony. Old Sir Colin MacSkelpie, who is the third, said he
couldn't take any part in such a permission, as the MacSkelpie was his
niece. He is a rude old man, that. I remember when, not remembering his
relationship, I spoke of the MacSkelpie, he caught me a clip on the ear
that sent me across the room. His Scotch is very broad. I can hear him
say, "Hae some attempt at even Soothern manners, and dinna misca' yer
betters, ye young puddock, or I'll wring yer snoot!" Father was, I could
see, very much offended, but he didn't say anything. He remembered, I
think, that the General is a V.C. man, and was fond of fighting duels.
But to show that the fault was not his, _he_ wrung _my_ ear--and the same
ear too! I suppose he thought that was justice! But it's only right to
say that he made up for it afterwards. When the General had gone he gave
me a five-pound note.

I don't think Uncle Roger was very pleased with the way Rupert behaved
about the legacy, for I don't think he ever saw him from that day to
this. Perhaps, of course, it was because Rupert ran away shortly
afterwards; but I shall tell about that when I come to him. After all,
why should my uncle bother about him? He is not a Melton at all, and I
am to be Head of the House--of course, when the Lord thinks right to take
father to Himself! Uncle Roger has tons of money, and he never married,
so if he wants to leave it in the right direction he needn't have any
trouble. He made his money in what he calls "the Eastern Trade." This,
so far as I can gather, takes in the Levant and all east of it. I know
he has what they call in trade "houses" in all sorts of places--Turkey,
and Greece, and all round them, Morocco, Egypt, and Southern Russia, and
the Holy Land; then on to Persia, India, and all round it; the
Chersonese, China, Japan, and the Pacific Islands. It is not to be
expected that we landowners can know much about trade, but my uncle
covers--or alas! I must say "covered"--a lot of ground, I can tell you.
Uncle Roger was a very grim sort of man, and only that I was brought up
to try and be kind to him I shouldn't ever have dared to speak to him.
But when was a child father and mother--especially mother--forced me to
go and see him and be affectionate to him. He wasn't ever even civil to
me, that I can remember--grumpy old bear! But, then, he never saw Rupert
at all, so that I take it Master R--- is out of the running altogether
for testamentary honours. The last time I saw him myself he was
distinctly rude. He treated me as a boy, though I was getting on for
eighteen years of age. I came into his office without knocking; and
without looking up from his desk, where he was writing, he said: "Get
out! Why do you venture to disturb me when I'm busy? Get out, and be
damned to you!" I waited where I was, ready to transfix him with my eye
when he should look up, for I cannot forget that when my father dies I
shall be Head of my House. But when he did there was no transfixing
possible. He said quite coolly:

"Oh, it's you, is it? I thought it was one of my office boys. Sit down,
if you want to see me, and wait till I am ready." So I sat down and
waited. Father always said that I should try to conciliate and please my
uncle. Father is a very shrewd man, and Uncle Roger is a very rich one.

But I don't think Uncle R--- is as shrewd as he thinks he is. He
sometimes makes awful mistakes in business. For instance, some years ago
he bought an enormous estate on the Adriatic, in the country they call
the "Land of Blue Mountains." At least, he says he bought it. He told
father so in confidence. But he didn't show any title-deeds, and I'm
greatly afraid he was "had." A bad job for me that he was, for father
believes he paid an enormous sum for it, and as I am his natural heir, it
reduces his available estate to so much less.

And now about Rupert. As I have said, he ran away when he was about
fourteen, and we did not hear about him for years. When we--or, rather,
my father--did hear of him, it was no good that he heard. He had gone as
a cabin-boy on a sailing ship round the Horn. Then he joined an
exploring party through the centre of Patagonia, and then another up in
Alaska, and a third to the Aleutian Islands. After that he went through
Central America, and then to Western Africa, the Pacific Islands, India,
and a lot of places. We all know the wisdom of the adage that "A rolling
stone gathers no moss"; and certainly, if there be any value in moss,
Cousin Rupert will die a poor man. Indeed, nothing will stand his
idiotic, boastful wastefulness. Look at the way in which, when he came
of age, he made over all his mother's little fortune to the MacSkelpie! I
am sure that, though Uncle Roger made no comment to my father, who, as
Head of our House, should, of course, have been informed, he was not
pleased. My mother, who has a good fortune in her own right, and has had
the sense to keep it in her own control--as I am to inherit it, and it is
not in the entail, I am therefore quite impartial--I can approve of her
spirited conduct in the matter. We never did think much of Rupert,
anyhow; but now, since he is in the way to be a pauper, and therefore a
dangerous nuisance, we look on him as quite an outsider. We know what he
really is. For my own part, I loathe and despise him. Just now we are
irritated with him, for we are all kept on tenterhooks regarding my dear
Uncle Roger's Will. For Mr. Trent, the attorney who regulated my dear
uncle's affairs and has possession of the Will, says it is necessary to
know where every possible beneficiary is to be found before making the
Will public, so we all have to wait. It is especially hard on me, who am
the natural heir. It is very thoughtless indeed of Rupert to keep away
like that. I wrote to old MacSkelpie about it, but he didn't seem to
understand or to be at all anxious--he is not the heir! He said that
probably Rupert Sent Leger--he, too, keeps to the old spelling--did not
know of his uncle's death, or he would have taken steps to relieve our
anxiety. Our anxiety, forsooth! We are not anxious; we only wish to
_know_. And if we--and especially me--who have all the annoyance of
thinking of the detestable and unfair death-duties, are anxious, we
should be so. Well, anyhow, he'll get a properly bitter disappointment
and set down when he does turn up and discovers that he is a pauper
without hope!

* * * * *

To-day we (father and I) had letters from Mr. Trent, telling us that the
whereabouts of "Mr. Rupert Sent Leger" had been discovered, and that a
letter disclosing the fact of poor Uncle Roger's death had been sent to
him. He was at Titicaca when last heard of. So goodness only knows when
he may get the letter, which "asks him to come home at once, but only
gives to him such information about the Will as has already been given to
every member of the testator's family." And that is nil. I dare say we
shall be kept waiting for months before we get hold of the estate which
is ours. It is too bad!

_Letter from Edward Bingham Trent to Ernest Roger Halbard Melton_.

176, LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS,
_December_ 28, 1906.

DEAR SIR,

I am glad to be able to inform you that I have just heard by letter
from Mr. Rupert St. Leger that he intended leaving Rio de Janeiro by
the S.S. _Amazon_, of the Royal Mail Company, on December 15. He
further stated that he would cable just before leaving Rio de
Janeiro, to say on what day the ship was expected to arrive in
London. As all the others possibly interested in the Will of the
late Roger Melton, and whose names are given to me in his
instructions regarding the reading of the Will, have been advised,
and have expressed their intention of being present at that event on
being apprised of the time and place, I now beg to inform you that by
cable message received the date scheduled for arrival at the Port of
London was January 1 prox. I therefore beg to notify you, subject to
postponement due to the non-arrival of the _Amazon_, the reading of
the Will of the late Roger Melton, Esq., will take place in my office
on Thursday, January 3 prox., at eleven o'clock a.m.

I have the honour to be, sir,
Yours faithfully,
EDWARD BINGHAM TRENT.

TO ERNEST ROGER HALBARD MELTON, ESQ.,
HUMCROFT,
SALOP.

Cable: _Rupert Sent Leger to Edward Bingham Trent_.
_Amazon_ arrives London January 1. SENT LEGER.

_Telegram_ (_per Lloyd's_): _Rupert Sent Leger to Edward Bingham Trent_.

THE LIZARD,
_December_ 31.

_Amazon_ arrives London to-morrow morning. All well.--LEGER.

_Telegram_: _Edward Bingham Trent to Ernest Roger Halbard Mellon_.

Rupert Sent Leger arrived. Reading Will takes place as
arranged.--TRENT.

ERNEST ROGER HALBARD MELTON'S RECORD.

_January_ 4, 1907.

The reading of Uncle Roger's Will is over. Father got a duplicate of Mr.
Trent's letter to me, and of the cable and two telegrams pasted into this
Record. We both waited patiently till the third--that is, we did not say
anything. The only impatient member of our family was my mother. She
_did_ say things, and if old Trent had been here his ears would have been
red. She said what ridiculous nonsense it was delaying the reading of
the Will, and keeping the Heir waiting for the arrival of an obscure
person who wasn't even a member of the family, inasmuch as he didn't bear
the name. I don't think it's quite respectful to one who is some day to
be Head of the House! I thought father was weakening in his patience
when he said: "True, my dear--true!" and got up and left the room. Some
time afterwards when I passed the library I heard him walking up and
down.

Father and I went up to town on the afternoon of Wednesday, January 2.
We stayed, of course, at Claridge's, where we always stay when we go to
town. Mother wanted to come, too, but father thought it better not. She
would not agree to stay at home till we both promised to send her
separate telegrams after the reading.

At five minutes to eleven we entered Mr. Trent's office. Father would
not go a moment earlier, as he said it was bad form to seem eager at any
time, but most of all at the reading of a will. It was a rotten grind,
for we had to be walking all over the neighbourhood for half an hour
before it was time, not to be too early.

When we went into the room we found there General Sir Colin MacKelpie and
a big man, very bronzed, whom I took to be Rupert St. Leger--not a very
creditable connection to look at, I thought! He and old MacKelpie took
care to be in time! Rather low, I thought it. Mr. St. Leger was reading
a letter. He had evidently come in but lately, for though he seemed to
be eager about it, he was only at the first page, and I could see that
there were many sheets. He did not look up when we came in, or till he
had finished the letter; and you may be sure that neither I nor my father
(who, as Head of the House, should have had more respect from him) took
the trouble to go to him. After all, he is a pauper and a wastrel, and
he has not the honour of bearing our Name. The General, however, came
forward and greeted us both cordially. He evidently had forgotten--or
pretended to have--the discourteous way he once treated me, for he spoke
to me quite in a friendly way--I thought more warmly than he did to
father. I was pleased to be spoken to so nicely, for, after all,
whatever his manners may be, he is a distinguished man--has won the V.C.
and a Baronetcy. He got the latter not long ago, after the Frontier War
in India. I was not, however, led away into cordiality myself. I had
not forgotten his rudeness, and I thought that he might be sucking up to
me. I knew that when I had my dear Uncle Roger's many millions I should
be a rather important person; and, of course, he knew it too. So I got
even with him for his former impudence. When he held out his hand I put
one finger in it, and said, "How do?" He got very red and turned away.
Father and he had ended by glaring at each other, so neither of us was
sorry to be done with him. All the time Mr. St. Leger did not seem to
see or hear anything, but went on reading his letter. I thought the old
MacSkelpie was going to bring him into the matter between us, for as he
turned away I heard him say something under his breath. It sounded like
"Help!" but Mr. S--- did not hear. He certainly no notice of it.

As the MacS--- and Mr. S--- sat quite silent, neither looking at us, and
as father was sitting on the other side of the room with his chin in his
hand, and as I wanted to show that I was indifferent to the two S's, I
took out this notebook, and went on with the Record, bringing it up to
this moment.

THE RECORD--_Continued_.

When I had finished writing I looked over at Rupert.

When he saw us, he jumped up and went over to father and shook his hand
quite warmly. Father took him very coolly. Rupert, however, did not
seem to see it, but came towards me heartily. I happened to be doing
something else at the moment, and at first I did not see his hand; but
just as I was looking at it the clock struck eleven. Whilst it was
striking Mr. Trent came into the room. Close behind him came his clerk,
carrying a locked tin box. There were two other men also. He bowed to
us all in turn, beginning with me. I was standing opposite the door; the
others were scattered about. Father sat still, but Sir Colin and Mr. St.
Leger rose. Mr. Trent not did shake hands with any of us--not even me.
Nothing but his respectful bow. That is the etiquette for an attorney, I
understand, on such formal occasions.

He sat down at the end of the big table in the centre of the room, and
asked us to sit round. Father, of course, as Head of the Family, took
the seat at his right hand. Sir Colin and St. Leger went to the other
side, the former taking the seat next to the attorney. The General
knows, of course, that a Baronet takes precedence at a ceremony. I may
be a Baronet some day myself, and have to know these things.

The clerk took the key which his master handed to him, opened the tin
box, and took from it a bundle of papers tied with red tape. This he
placed before the attorney, and put the empty box behind him on the
floor. Then he and the other man sat at the far end of the table; the
latter took out a big notebook and several pencils, and put them before
him. He was evidently a shorthand-writer. Mr. Trent removed the tape
from the bundle of papers, which he placed a little distance in front of
him. He took a sealed envelope from the top, broke the seal, opened the
envelope, and from it took a parchment, in the folds of which were some
sealed envelopes, which he laid in a heap in front of the other paper.
Then he unfolded the parchment, and laid it before him with the outside
page up. He fixed his glasses, and said:

"Gentlemen, the sealed envelope which you have seen me open is endorsed
'My Last Will and Testament--ROGER MELTON, _June_, 1906.' This
document"--holding it up--"is as follows:

"'I Roger Melton of Openshaw Grange in the County of Dorset; of
number one hundred and twenty-three Berkeley Square London; and of
the Castle of Vissarion in the Land of the Blue Mountains, being of
sound mind do make this my Last Will and Testament on this day Monday
the eleventh day of the month of June in the year of Our Lord one
thousand nine hundred and six at the office of my old friend and
Attorney Edward Bingham Trent in number one hundred and seventy-six
Lincoln's Inn Fields London hereby revoking all other wills that I
may have formerly made and giving this as my sole and last Will
making dispositions of my property as follows:

"'1. To my kinsman and nephew Ernest Halbard Melton Esquire, justice
of the Peace, Humcroft the County of Salop, for his sole use and
benefit the sum of twenty thousand pounds sterling free of all Duties
Taxes and charges whatever to be paid out of my Five per centum Bonds
of the City of Montreal, Canada.

"'2. To my respected friend and colleague as co-trustee to the Will
of my late sister Patience late widow of the late Captain Rupert Sent
Leger who predeceased her, Major-General Sir Colin Alexander
MacKelpie, Baronet, holder of the Victoria Cross, Knight Commander of
the Order of the Bath, of Croom in the county of Ross Scotland a sum
of Twenty thousand pounds sterling free of all Taxes and charges
whatsoever; to be paid out of my Five per centum Bonds of the City of
Toronto, Canada.

"'3. To Miss Janet MacKelpie presently residing at Croom in the
County of Ross Scotland the sum of Twenty thousand pounds sterling
free of all Duties Taxes and Charges whatsoever, to be paid out of my
Five per centum Bonds of the London County Council.

"'4. To the various persons charities and Trustees named in the
schedule attached to this Will and marked A. the various sums
mentioned therein, all free of Duties and Taxes and charges
whatsoever.'"

Here Mr. Trent read out the list here following, and announced for our
immediate understanding of the situation the total amount as two hundred
and fifty thousand pounds. Many of the beneficiaries were old friends,
comrades, dependents, and servants, some of them being left quite large
sums of money and specific objects, such as curios and pictures.

"'5. To my kinsman and nephew Ernest Roger Halbard Melton presently
living in the house of his father at Humcroft Salop the sum of Ten
thousand pounds sterling.

"'6. To my old and valued friend Edward Bingham Trent of one hundred
and seventy-six Lincoln's Inn Fields sum of Twenty thousand pounds
sterling free from all Duties Taxes and Charges whatsoever to be paid
out of my Five per centum Bonds of the city of Manchester England.

"'7. To my dear nephew Rupert Sent Leger only son of my dear sister
Patience Melton by her marriage with Captain Rupert Sent Leger the
sum of one thousand pounds sterling.