Lord Trimmerstone did not exactly understand how that was to be; but he knew very well that it was not the fashion for females to attend funerals, and he thought it was very absurd in Signora Rivolta to persist in such a request. His lordship did not exactly know why it was not fashionable, and perhaps never thought of inquiring. It is the spirit and glory of fashion to follow models and obey laws, without knowing why or wherefore. The true reason of the unfashionableness of that which Signora Rivolta and her daughter persisted in doing is, that emotion and deep feeling are unfashionable. The Earl of Trimmerstone did not pursue the course of opposition, on finding that the ladies were sincere and earnest in their wish to pay this last tribute of respect to their departed relative.
The funeral service was read by Mr. Denver; who, notwithstanding he did all that he possibly could in order to render the service impressive by reading it solemnly, still from a habit of hastily performing the various parts of clerical duty, was absolutely unable to give the full effect to it. Signora Rivolta felt the defect of pathos, and the absence of genuine solemnity. This defect might perhaps contribute to keep her own feelings more calm and composed; or rather, by rendering her somewhat angry with the apparent indifference of the officiating clergyman, it tended to excite other emotions than merely those of grief and sorrow of heart.
When the last rites were over, it was necessary that the will should be read. If there was any one of the party apprehensive of disappointment, that person must have been Lord Trimmerstone. It certainly must have been mortifying to him to have witnessed the obstructions to his prospects of inheritance; first, in the discovery of his relative’s daughter and family, and next in the patronage and favoritism of that man whom he knew only as a person professionally employed against himself. It was mortifying also to him to think that this favorite should have become such from the very circumstance which his lordship had most reason to look back upon with shame and regret. It is, indeed, much to his lordship’s credit, that notwithstanding all these things he never manifested any symptoms of ill-humor or hostility towards the parties concerned, and never had recourse to any arts or contrivances whatever to flatter the old gentleman into good-humor. All this, however meritorious as it may sound in description, did not spring from any magnanimity on the part of Lord Trimmerstone, nor was it accompanied with any moral effort or reflective thought; it arose purely from a natural indolence of mind, and from a feeling that Mr. Martindale, who had manifested some zeal in procuring a higher title for his dependent relative, would have a natural desire to do what he could for the aggrandisement of the family that bore his own name.
The will was read. It commenced in the usual form. It gave various legacies to servants and humble friends, which need not be specified; it then went on to the distribution of larger and more important bequests; it gave the estate at Trimmerstone, and two other estates in the adjoining county, together with fifty thousand pounds, to the Earl of Trimmerstone. It assigned to Signora Rivolta an estate of two thousand a year; to Clara, a legacy of five thousand pounds; to his worthy and confidential solicitor, Mr. Price of Brigland, the sum of twenty thousand pounds; and to Horatio Markham, the residue: appointing the two last-named as his executors.
With this arrangement the Earl of Trimmerstone was perfectly satisfied; and had such a bequest come into his possession a few years before, he might have been delighted with it: but the time for his feeling strong emotions was past; his spirit was broken, and life had with him ceased to be holiday-time. Of the other legatees, Signora Rivolta, considering the circumstances of her birth, and recollecting the fears and prospects with which she had landed in England, was also perfectly satisfied. Markham, not knowing the extent of his legacy, but almost sorry that his name should have appeared at all in the document, felt embarrassed, and really did most heartily wish that what Sir Andrew Featherstone had told him might prove untrue: for the barrister, who would have delighted in opulence, as the result of professional diligence and skill, was not pleased at owing his wealth to a capricious stranger; and as it was his determination not to avail himself of this bequest, should it prove unreasonably large, he was greatly disturbed at the idea that by giving or offering it to those whom he thought the right owners, he should seem to be playing a part of ostentatious heroism.
But, alas! for poor Mr. Price! His disappointment was severe indeed. Ever since he had had the management of Mr. Martindale’s property, he had been playing a deep game. It was his object to acquire a character with the old gentleman for strict and delicate honesty. He perceived that his employer was not fully aware of the value of his own property, and he saw that it was possible that advantage might be taken of this ignorance. But the crafty solicitor also knew that Mr. Martindale was a man of shrewd sense and great self-will; and therefore thought it most advisable so to manage and conduct the affairs, that if by any freak on the part of the rich man, there should be necessity for explanation and full statement, that explanation and that statement might be made without fear of disgrace and suspicion. By the habit of accuracy in his accounts, the lawyer became absolutely proud of the dexterity and scrupulosity with which he had attended to the affairs of his client; and oftentimes did he urge Mr. Martindale to pay more personal attention, and to inspect the accounts.
The old gentleman’s personal expenditure had been but trifling, compared with his actual income. Wishing, however, to be liberal, but still desirous of keeping that liberality within his income, he had made frequent and periodical inquiries of his lawyer as to the extent of the means; and the answers to these inquiries had always been very much within the mark. Very soon after Mr. Martindale had begun to employ Mr. Price as his confidential solicitor, the whim of will-making had seized the old gentleman; and in all the instructions which he had given to his lawyer for that purpose, Mr. Price had been uniformly named as executor and residuary-legatee. The policy of that gentleman had therefore been to keep Mr. Martindale as much in the dark as he conveniently could with respect to the real extent and value of his property. But unfortunately for himself, the confidential solicitor overacted his part; and by causing his employer to apprehend that the residue of his property, after various proposed bequests, would be very much less than it really was, he had led the old gentleman to make the alteration above named.
Now it may seem that a legacy of twenty thousand pounds to a provincial solicitor was a bequest by no means to be despised or lamented. It may be said that this was better than nothing; but of that we have our doubts. Money is more or less, according to circumstances; and to ninety-nine persons out of a hundred, the disappointment of an expectation is equivalent to an actual loss. In the present case, however, Mr. Price was not merely disappointed, but he was absolutely embarrassed and perplexed: for he had made purchases of land at a great expense, and had left so large a portion of the purchase-money as a burden on his purchases, that the rent of his estates barely sufficed to pay the interest; and in some cases actually fell short of it. Add to this, that since the property in question had been bought, the change in its value had been by no means in favor of the purchaser. The legacy therefore which had been left him, magnificent as it might appear, compared with his apparent circumstances, was far below the necessities of his actual condition.
How the poor man felt under his disappointment, may perhaps be better imagined than described. It is probable, however, that he began to have some suspicion that there was some truth in the proverb which says, “Honesty is the best policy.”