“Well, there’s one good thing,” he added, smiling, “she can’t take the stuff she’s hoarded with her into the next world, an’ when it falls to you you can do as you like with it.”
“Falls to me?”
“Why, yes. ’Course all your aunt’s property’ll be yours some day.”
“What makes you think so?” Lucy asked, a suggestion of reserve in her tone.
“Who else is there to have it?” inquired Tony, opening his eyes very wide. “Ain’t she already left it to you in her will?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t!”
Lucy laughed at his incredulousness.
“No.”
“Well, they say down to the town that your aunt made her will ’bout three weeks ago. Even Lawyer Benton himself admitted that much. Folks saw Miss Webster goin’ into his office an’ questioned him. He warn’t for tellin’ anything ’til they nagged at him; then he did own that the farm an’ everything else was left to relatives. Elias Barnes an’ some of the others were mighty quick to hunt up who the Webster relatives were. They were pretty sure you were the only one, an’ it ’pears 169 you are. So it’s you will get the place an’ the money, an’ goodness knows, Miss Lucy, you’ve earnt it. The men all agreed to that.”