conditions will be read, and the money dealt out accordingly.
"Yes, you silly man, but according to what?"
"It just occurred to me,” Miss Bliss said calmly, “it might be according to who doesn't try to have her declared insane. Just an idea,” she added deprecatingly.
"Sounds exactly like her,” Jonathon said, much impressed at Miss Bliss's insight.
Mrs. Milmont was sent reeling at this horrendous possibility. “Well, I am sure you all know I was only fooling! As though I would ever seriously say such a thing about my own dear sister.” She then fell silent trying to figure what other implications the phrase “according to what happens in the intervening year” might conceal.
Sir Hillary said aside to Gabriel, “She might have had in mind your marriage to Luane. It was what she always wanted."
Gabriel frowned and nodded. The same idea had occurred to him. Luane had the identical thought and expressed it aloud. “She is trying to make me marry Gabriel again."
Jonathon looked startled. That too sounded exactly like Aunt Sophie. It was not long in striking him that the terms might be more generalized than that. Maybe if either himself or Gabriel married her in the interim ... What had she said? Something about she would leave her money to him if Luane would have him. Or if neither of them took her, he might come into the blunt himself. On the other hand, Luane might. Or even Claudia. With such a surfeit of possibilities, he was at point non plus, and went and sat alone in a corner to think.
Various other interpretations of the wording of the will were spoken of. Maybe if any of them lost or sold their inherited jewel it would cut them out. Possibly she wanted the captain to do something with Swallowcourt—to bring it into shape, in which case he would have proved himself able to handle the money. The awful idea even darted into Mrs. Milmont's head that what was meant was for her to take Claudia to live with her. Sophie had never approved of keeping the girl with the Milmonts. Or was it conceivably Luane she was expected to take on? She was the girl's aunt and only living relative of the proper age and sex to chaperone her. But then, to take her and have the will mean something else entirely ... Her brain, like the captain's, was reeling. The only thing perfectly clear was that none of them were to get the diamonds. They were to rot away in the ground.
"That seems oddly unlike Sophie, to go wasting a fortune,” Hillary remarked when someone mentioned the fact. “She was too well aware of the value of money to throw it away."
"Maybe something different is to be done with them at the end of the year,” Miss Bliss suggested.
"That sounds more like it,” Hillary agreed, thinking the mystery was solved, for he could not credit her intending them to remain buried forever.
Captain Tewksbury, after cudgeling his brain for ten minutes, determined that the wisest course was to remain on very good terms with both the nieces, and to this end he rejoined the party. “Seems to me she's creating a lot of mischief,” he said, going on to make it perfectly clear he didn't mean to imply she was crazy, but only thoughtless. No harm in that. “Mean to say, if the story gets about there's a fortune buried in the grave, there'll be any number of robbers after it."
"It would be wisest to keep the fact to ourselves,” Fletcher advised them.
"Even so...” Jonathon looked at Gabriel in a suspicious manner.
"No doubt another term of the will is that the grave is not to be tampered with in the intervening year,” Sir Hillary commented.
"Who's to know who did the tampering?” Jonathon asked. “If one of you makes off with the diamonds, he's got a cool fortune, and won't care a peg about the rest of the blunt."
"One of us, shall we say?” Sir Hillary corrected with a lazy smile.
"For the sake of argument say one of us then, though I shall be in London."
"You are the owner of Swallowcourt now,” Hillary reminded
"Yes, you silly man, but according to what?"
"It just occurred to me,” Miss Bliss said calmly, “it might be according to who doesn't try to have her declared insane. Just an idea,” she added deprecatingly.
"Sounds exactly like her,” Jonathon said, much impressed at Miss Bliss's insight.
Mrs. Milmont was sent reeling at this horrendous possibility. “Well, I am sure you all know I was only fooling! As though I would ever seriously say such a thing about my own dear sister.” She then fell silent trying to figure what other implications the phrase “according to what happens in the intervening year” might conceal.
Sir Hillary said aside to Gabriel, “She might have had in mind your marriage to Luane. It was what she always wanted."
Gabriel frowned and nodded. The same idea had occurred to him. Luane had the identical thought and expressed it aloud. “She is trying to make me marry Gabriel again."
Jonathon looked startled. That too sounded exactly like Aunt Sophie. It was not long in striking him that the terms might be more generalized than that. Maybe if either himself or Gabriel married her in the interim ... What had she said? Something about she would leave her money to him if Luane would have him. Or if neither of them took her, he might come into the blunt himself. On the other hand, Luane might. Or even Claudia. With such a surfeit of possibilities, he was at point non plus, and went and sat alone in a corner to think.
Various other interpretations of the wording of the will were spoken of. Maybe if any of them lost or sold their inherited jewel it would cut them out. Possibly she wanted the captain to do something with Swallowcourt—to bring it into shape, in which case he would have proved himself able to handle the money. The awful idea even darted into Mrs. Milmont's head that what was meant was for her to take Claudia to live with her. Sophie had never approved of keeping the girl with the Milmonts. Or was it conceivably Luane she was expected to take on? She was the girl's aunt and only living relative of the proper age and sex to chaperone her. But then, to take her and have the will mean something else entirely ... Her brain, like the captain's, was reeling. The only thing perfectly clear was that none of them were to get the diamonds. They were to rot away in the ground.
"That seems oddly unlike Sophie, to go wasting a fortune,” Hillary remarked when someone mentioned the fact. “She was too well aware of the value of money to throw it away."
"Maybe something different is to be done with them at the end of the year,” Miss Bliss suggested.
"That sounds more like it,” Hillary agreed, thinking the mystery was solved, for he could not credit her intending them to remain buried forever.
Captain Tewksbury, after cudgeling his brain for ten minutes, determined that the wisest course was to remain on very good terms with both the nieces, and to this end he rejoined the party. “Seems to me she's creating a lot of mischief,” he said, going on to make it perfectly clear he didn't mean to imply she was crazy, but only thoughtless. No harm in that. “Mean to say, if the story gets about there's a fortune buried in the grave, there'll be any number of robbers after it."
"It would be wisest to keep the fact to ourselves,” Fletcher advised them.
"Even so...” Jonathon looked at Gabriel in a suspicious manner.
"No doubt another term of the will is that the grave is not to be tampered with in the intervening year,” Sir Hillary commented.
"Who's to know who did the tampering?” Jonathon asked. “If one of you makes off with the diamonds, he's got a cool fortune, and won't care a peg about the rest of the blunt."
"One of us, shall we say?” Sir Hillary corrected with a lazy smile.
"For the sake of argument say one of us then, though I shall be in London."
"You are the owner of Swallowcourt now,” Hillary reminded
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