'Very strange! very strange!' said the lawyer musingly. 'Mrs. Gregory was surprised?'
'She was more than surprised.'
'Shocked?'
'Yes; I believe she was really shocked,' said Tom. 'My mother told me, you know, to speak to you freely,' he added.
'Certainly. I should be pained if you did not,' said Mr. Cherry in his most impressive manner. 'Mr. Gregory, I have been the friend of your mother's family for three generations. They have all treated me with confidence. You, it seems, are chosen to carry on the traditions of the race. Why this is, I must tell you frankly, I cannot even guess. But it is so. If you permit it, I will be your friend as I have been theirs.'
'Thank you,' said Tom, grasping cordially the hand which the old lawyer extended to him. 'I accept your offer with pleasure. And I only hope I may prove worthy of your friendship.'
These preliminaries over, they proceeded to business. In a few clear words Mr. Cherry explained to Tom what the relationship had been between his mother and the rajah. The will, which should be laid before him presently, was of the simplest. There were a few legacies to servants and retainers, a bequest to Mr. Cherry, and the remainder absolutely, in the words of the will, to 'Thomas Gregory, my cousin's son.'
'Are there no conditions?' asked Tom.
'None whatever. I gather from a private letter, which I will put in your hands, that you are nominated as your cousin's successor in the raj. But, as Gumilcund has been for some years a protected state, the Company will have something to say about that. You had better put yourself in communication with the Lieutenant Governor. There is a resident, who will look after things there meanwhile. I have heard that Lord Dalhousie had a particular affection for Gumilcund. But this is all for the future.'
'Whatever my responsibilities may be,' said Tom, 'I assure you that I have no desire to shirk them.'