The Lady of the Shroud Page 3

  ERNEST ROGER HALBARD MELTON'S RECORD--_Continued_.

  And now _re_ the remaining one of Sir Geoffrey's children, Roger. He wasthe third child and third son, the only daughter, Patience, having beenborn twenty years after the last of the four sons. Concerning Roger, Ishall put down all I have heard of him from my father and grandfather.From my grand-aunt I heard nothing, I was a very small kid when she died;but I remember seeing her, but only once. A very tall, handsome woman ofa little over thirty, with very dark hair and light-coloured eyes. Ithink they were either grey or blue, but I can't remember which. Shelooked very proud and haughty, but I am bound to say that she was verynice to me. I remember feeling very jealous of Rupert because his motherlooked so distinguished. Rupert was eight years older than me, and I wasafraid he would beat me if I said anything he did not like. So I wassilent except when I forgot to be, and Rupert said very unkindly, and Ithink very unfairly, that I was "A sulky little beast." I haven't forgotthat, and I don't mean to. However, it doesn't matter much what he saidor thought. There he is--if he is at all--where no one can find him,with no money or nothing, for what little he had he settled when he cameof age, on the MacSkelpie. He wanted to give it to her when his motherdied, but father, who was a trustee, refused; and Uncle Roger, as I callhim, who is another, thought the trustees had no power to allow Rupert tothrow away his matrimony, as I called it, making a joke to father when hecalled it patrimony. Old Sir Colin MacSkelpie, who is the third, said hecouldn't take any part in such a permission, as the MacSkelpie was hisniece. He is a rude old man, that. I remember when, not remembering hisrelationship, I spoke of the MacSkelpie, he caught me a clip on the earthat sent me across the room. His Scotch is very broad. I can hear himsay, "Hae some attempt at even Soothern manners, and dinna misca' yerbetters, ye young puddock, or I'll wring yer snoot!" Father was, I couldsee, very much offended, but he didn't say anything. He remembered, Ithink, that the General is a V.C. man, and was fond of fighting duels.But to show that the fault was not his, _he_ wrung _my_ ear--and the sameear too! I suppose he thought that was justice! But it's only right tosay that he made up for it afterwards. When the General had gone he gaveme a five-pound note.

  I don't think Uncle Roger was very pleased with the way Rupert behavedabout the legacy, for I don't think he ever saw him from that day tothis. Perhaps, of course, it was because Rupert ran away shortlyafterwards; but I shall tell about that when I come to him. After all,why should my uncle bother about him? He is not a Melton at all, and Iam to be Head of the House--of course, when the Lord thinks right to takefather to Himself! Uncle Roger has tons of money, and he never married,so if he wants to leave it in the right direction he needn't have anytrouble. He made his money in what he calls "the Eastern Trade." This,so far as I can gather, takes in the Levant and all east of it. I knowhe has what they call in trade "houses" in all sorts of places--Turkey,and Greece, and all round them, Morocco, Egypt, and Southern Russia, andthe Holy Land; then on to Persia, India, and all round it; theChersonese, China, Japan, and the Pacific Islands. It is not to beexpected that we landowners can know much about trade, but my unclecovers--or alas! I must say "covered"--a lot of ground, I can tell you.Uncle Roger was a very grim sort of man, and only that I was brought upto try and be kind to him I shouldn't ever have dared to speak to him.But when was a child father and mother--especially mother--forced me togo and see him and be affectionate to him. He wasn't ever even civil tome, that I can remember--grumpy old bear! But, then, he never saw Rupertat all, so that I take it Master R--- is out of the running altogetherfor testamentary honours. The last time I saw him myself he wasdistinctly rude. He treated me as a boy, though I was getting on foreighteen years of age. I came into his office without knocking; andwithout looking up from his desk, where he was writing, he said: "Getout! Why do you venture to disturb me when I'm busy? Get out, and bedamned to you!" I waited where I was, ready to transfix him with my eyewhen he should look up, for I cannot forget that when my father dies Ishall be Head of my House. But when he did there was no transfixingpossible. He said quite coolly:

  "Oh, it's you, is it? I thought it was one of my office boys. Sit down,if you want to see me, and wait till I am ready." So I sat down andwaited. Father always said that I should try to conciliate and please myuncle. Father is a very shrewd man, and Uncle Roger is a very rich one.

  But I don't think Uncle R--- is as shrewd as he thinks he is. Hesometimes makes awful mistakes in business. For instance, some years agohe bought an enormous estate on the Adriatic, in the country they callthe "Land of Blue Mountains." At least, he says he bought it. He toldfather so in confidence. But he didn't show any title-deeds, and I'mgreatly afraid he was "had." A bad job for me that he was, for fatherbelieves he paid an enormous sum for it, and as I am his natural heir, itreduces his available estate to so much less.

  And now about Rupert. As I have said, he ran away when he was aboutfourteen, and we did not hear about him for years. When we--or, rather,my father--did hear of him, it was no good that he heard. He had gone asa cabin-boy on a sailing ship round the Horn. Then he joined anexploring party through the centre of Patagonia, and then another up inAlaska, and a third to the Aleutian Islands. After that he went throughCentral America, and then to Western Africa, the Pacific Islands, India,and a lot of places. We all know the wisdom of the adage that "A rollingstone gathers no moss"; and certainly, if there be any value in moss,Cousin Rupert will die a poor man. Indeed, nothing will stand hisidiotic, boastful wastefulness. Look at the way in which, when he cameof age, he made over all his mother's little fortune to the MacSkelpie! Iam sure that, though Uncle Roger made no comment to my father, who, asHead of our House, should, of course, have been informed, he was notpleased. My mother, who has a good fortune in her own right, and has hadthe sense to keep it in her own control--as I am to inherit it, and it isnot in the entail, I am therefore quite impartial--I can approve of herspirited conduct in the matter. We never did think much of Rupert,anyhow; but now, since he is in the way to be a pauper, and therefore adangerous nuisance, we look on him as quite an outsider. We know what hereally is. For my own part, I loathe and despise him. Just now we areirritated with him, for we are all kept on tenterhooks regarding my dearUncle Roger's Will. For Mr. Trent, the attorney who regulated my dearuncle's affairs and has possession of the Will, says it is necessary toknow where every possible beneficiary is to be found before making theWill public, so we all have to wait. It is especially hard on me, who amthe natural heir. It is very thoughtless indeed of Rupert to keep awaylike that. I wrote to old MacSkelpie about it, but he didn't seem tounderstand or to be at all anxious--he is not the heir! He said thatprobably Rupert Sent Leger--he, too, keeps to the old spelling--did notknow of his uncle's death, or he would have taken steps to relieve ouranxiety. Our anxiety, forsooth! We are not anxious; we only wish to_know_. And if we--and especially me--who have all the annoyance ofthinking of the detestable and unfair death-duties, are anxious, weshould be so. Well, anyhow, he'll get a properly bitter disappointmentand set down when he does turn up and discovers that he is a pauperwithout hope!

  * * * * *

  To-day we (father and I) had letters from Mr. Trent, telling us that thewhereabouts of "Mr. Rupert Sent Leger" had been discovered, and that aletter disclosing the fact of poor Uncle Roger's death had been sent tohim. He was at Titicaca when last heard of. So goodness only knows whenhe may get the letter, which "asks him to come home at once, but onlygives to him such information about the Will as has already been given toevery member of the testator's family." And that is nil. I dare say weshall be kept waiting for months before we get hold of the estate whichis ours. It is too bad!

  _Letter from Edward Bingham Trent to Ernest Roger Halbard Melton_.

  176, LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS, _December_ 28, 1906.

  DEAR SIR, r />
  I am glad to be able to inform you that I have just heard by letter from Mr. Rupert St. Leger that he intended leaving Rio de Janeiro by the S.S. _Amazon_, of the Royal Mail Company, on December 15. He further stated that he would cable just before leaving Rio de Janeiro, to say on what day the ship was expected to arrive in London. As all the others possibly interested in the Will of the late Roger Melton, and whose names are given to me in his instructions regarding the reading of the Will, have been advised, and have expressed their intention of being present at that event on being apprised of the time and place, I now beg to inform you that by cable message received the date scheduled for arrival at the Port of London was January 1 prox. I therefore beg to notify you, subject to postponement due to the non-arrival of the _Amazon_, the reading of the Will of the late Roger Melton, Esq., will take place in my office on Thursday, January 3 prox., at eleven o'clock a.m.

  I have the honour to be, sir, Yours faithfully, EDWARD BINGHAM TRENT.

  TO ERNEST ROGER HALBARD MELTON, ESQ., HUMCROFT, SALOP.

  Cable: _Rupert Sent Leger to Edward Bingham Trent_._Amazon_ arrives London January 1. SENT LEGER.

  _Telegram_ (_per Lloyd's_): _Rupert Sent Leger to Edward Bingham Trent_.

  THE LIZARD, _December_ 31.

  _Amazon_ arrives London to-morrow morning. All well.--LEGER.

  _Telegram_: _Edward Bingham Trent to Ernest Roger Halbard Mellon_.

  Rupert Sent Leger arrived. Reading Will takes place as arranged.--TRENT.