“Tea is ready now,” said she. “I’d as lief get tea for the whole town once in a while as not. But it ain’t this tea they’re waiting for, and if I was them I’d go.”
“What are they waiting for?” asked David.
“Don’t you know? Oh, I suppose it’s to show good-will. Folks generally do at such times. But I’ll ring the tea-bell, and that’ll scare some of them home may be. Some of them’ll have to wait till the second table, if they all stay, that’s one thing. And I hope they’ll think they’ve heard enough to pay them before they go.”
They did not hear very much, certainly. Mr Bethune from Singleton was there, but the interest of the occasion was not in his hands. Deacon Spry had it all his own way, and opened and read with great deliberation a paper which had been committed to him. It was not Miss Bethia’s will, as every one hoped it might be, but it was a paper written by her hand, signifying that her will, which was in Mr Bethune’s keeping, was to be opened just a year from the day of her death. In the meantime Deborah Stone was to live in her house and take care of it and what property there was about it. Her clothes and bedding were in part for Debby, and the rest to be divided among certain persons named. Mrs Inglis was requested to leave her late husband’s library where it was for one year, unless she should see some good reason for taking it away. And that was all.
Everybody looked surprised, except Debby, who had known the contents of the paper from Miss Bethia.
“I suppose it’ll be Mr Bethune’s business to look up Bethia’s relations within the year. Folks generally do leave their property to their relations, even if they don’t know much about them. But I rather expected she’d do something for the cause among us,” said Deacon Spry, in a slightly aggrieved tone.
“I thought she’d at least new paint the meeting house,” said Sam Jones.
“Or put a new fence round the grave-yard.”
“Well! may be she has! We’ll see when the year’s out.”
“No, folks most always leave their property to their own relations. They seem nearest, come toward the end.”