“Yes; the law students here make a study of it.”
“As an example of what a will oughtn’t to be? Well; it was all regular enough. I prepared it myself. It’s sound enough legally; but foolish otherwise. She wished to make it quite clear that she trusted her husband. She had a quixotic idea that, in turning over all her property to him for the use of their daughter, she was putting a prop under him to make him stand. He ought to have a pretty good property to turn over to her at the termination of the trust. That comes,—let me see,—that comes on Zelda’s twenty-first birthday,—I think it’s next fall sometime. I suppose you don’t happen to know when Miss Dameron’s birthday comes?”
Michael Carr’s eyes twinkled, and he looked at Leighton with the smile the world has for a suspected lover.
“No,” said Leighton, laughing, “I don’t know.”
“Well,” said Michael Carr, rising and thrusting the book under his arm, “I hope you may know one of these days,—if you want to. Mrs. Carr and I are both interested in seeing you settled. My wife takes a good deal of stock in you,—not to say that I don’t! And we have decided that this would be a happy arrangement. The father-in-law would leave a good deal to be desired; but that wouldn’t be a consideration.”
“I like the idea,” said Leighton; “but you’ve set the mark too high.”
“Never give up the ship, young man. Demurrers are not necessarily fatal.”
“I didn’t say that I’d filed my petition yet,” said Morris.
“Better not wait too long,—or you may lose jurisdiction. And there’s always a statute of limitations that operates in such matter. Are you going home to dinner with me?”
“No, thank you; I can’t. I wish I could make you understand how much I appreciate your kindness to me. It isn’t that I’ve learned some law,—it’s the countless other things that you have done for me since I came here.”