CHAPTER IX. REYNARD DECLARES HIMSELF.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 337, 26 January 1889, Page 4

CHAPTER IX. REYNARD DECLARES HIMSELF.

Kirkland, instead of answering the demand of the expectant heir, pulled the drawer out from its place, and turned with ib towards the open embrasure. He had gained strength, and his scattered senses were returning. In a lighter place he examined the drawer thoroughly, but without avail. The will which he knew he had placed there, safe and intact, was there no longer ! It was gone ! — gone ! — and not a trace was left to indicate the manner of its disappearance. "Doctor Griffith,' he said, with a beseeching look into the face of the leech, 'you saw the will placed in this drawer ?' ' I did. And I saw the drawer closed upon ie and locked. And I know, further, that no one disturbed it from that time until — until — after midnight, or before I left the chamber.' •And you, Lady Blanche — you saw ?' 'I could not help seeing,' she replied, pressing her hand over her wildJy-beating heart. Oh ! what a moment for her ! If the new will had been lost — stolen — successfully destroyed — what might be the result to herself ? She dared not think. ' Kirkland !' spake Reynard, assuming an appearance of blank astonishment, ' will you have the kindness to answer my question ? You can best do i!s now by telling me what means obis wonderment and mystery that seems to drive you all mad. What is it ?' The lawyer turned and faced him. On that instant he remembered the look he had seen upon the dark face in the room below, when Malcolm MacGregor had been requested to join the party in quest of the will. He remembered that, and he remembered other things. He faced the man, and his eyes blazed. ' Reynard Bevern ! Berlrand Lord Raven - dale made a new and authentic will on last Friday, when he believed that he was dying.' ' P&haw ! Do dying men make authentic wills ?' ' Yes ; when they lie dying, as he lay, on that occasion.' 1 May 1 ask, how was that?' ' Yes, you may a-k ; but I shall not waste breath in telling you that which you aheady know, Reynard Bevern ! Of all living men there is nolono who knows more surely how the baron died than you do ! I tell you, he made a new will. That will is either somewhere in existence, or it has been destroyed !' At the bib touching the manner of the death, Reynard shrank and cowered ; bub only for an instant. He had trained himself too thoroughly to be so easily thrown aback ; and as the closing sentence fell from the lawyer's lips he was himself again. He faced the old attorney unblushingly, and with a bitter curse he exclaimed : ' Kirkland, I believe you are talking nonsense ! If a new will was made, where is it ? Do you know ?' 'It has been taken from this drawer, where I put it.' ' How do you know that ?' ' Because it is not here.' ' The lawyer started, and caught his breath, then lifted the folded parchment, and looked upon it.' ' Man ! I ask you : What is that in your hand? 1 'I t is an old will, made several years ago, when things appeared different to the maker from what they appeared in this later time.' ' Oho iibis a will ! So I thought. Ten thousand pounds to a farthing, if a will has been destroyed, the baron did it himself ! At all events, let's have the will.' ' You shall have it when it is found.' A few seconds Reynard remained silent, gazing with pent-up fury at the old lawyer's .face. His teeth ground together like the stones of a mill; his jaws were tightly closed ; and his hands were clenched until the veins and sinews stood revealed like whip-cords. A few seconds so, and then he burst forth into a literal howl of cursing and swearing, winding up bj' demanding that the will should be produced and read. ' You have assembled your audience,' he said, ' and you have given notice of what you would do. Now, I say unto you : Do it. You have the will in your hand. Let it be read. It there is no other — and I bcliove there is not — that is, to all intents and purposes, the last will ,and testament of our late baron, the Lord of Ravendale.' During this strange scene our hero — for so we may consider Malcolm MacGregor— had stood confounded. He 1 could make neither head nor tail of it. He looked toward Blanche, but he could not question her. At length, when Raymond had made his furious demand, he turned to the doctor, who sbood near by, and a&ked him what ib meant. , Kirkland overheard bhe question, and quickly turnod, as though thankful for the opportunity offered of relief. ' Sir Malcolm, have you nob been told of your late uncle's last will? — of a will he made only a few hours previous to his death?' ', ' -- ' 'Nob a word. Not a lisp. I had, nob dreamed of suoh a thing.' „ Reynard looked from the -youthful officer to the trembling lady, utterly incredulous. Be could not believo that Blanche had not to!d him. • Yot, after a time, there wasthab; in the appearance of both! of them— 'a look

of truth; and faith— which "even he^^ith ! all his wile and falsehood,, could nob fail to j see and believe. „ / , I Malcolm did nofc ask the character of the new will ;<and, under the circumstances, 'the lawyer did not think it besfHo publish' it at that time, and in that place. Again, at the end of a brief silence, Reynard demanded that the will which Kirk- | land held in his hand should be carried below, and there be made public. With another volley of oaths he declared it to be the true will — the only will — and as such, there could be no excuse for holding it back.' As soon as Sir Malcolm could gain an opportunity to speak, he suggested that if the baron himself had destroyed the will, someone must have been witness to, its destruction. ' For of course, 3 said he, ' the dying man was not left without a watcher.' ' When 1 went away,' said the doctor, ' I left Duff" Murbagh, and he, I believe, was with him — and alone — until the end.' ' Then why not summon him ?' 'Of course,' echoed Reynard ' Call Duff. Perhaps he can'put you on the track.' ' Why should you call him ?' asked Blanche. ' The keys of the cabinet were in my keeping — safely locked in a receptacle of my own --during all the time that Duff was there alone.' Still, after a little further discussion, it was ngreed that Duff Murtagh should be called. A servant was summoned, and sent to find him ; and ere long he entered the chamber. He opened his eyes to their fullest extent when the case was stated to him, and in the end he could only say that he saw the new will made, that he signed it as a witness, and that he saw it, together with another older one, put into the drawer of the cabinet, there locked up, then the doois locked, and then the keys had been * given to Lady Blanche. No living soul went near the cabinet while he was alone in the chamber. ' But,' he added, with a scared look, ' I won't say that a ghost mightn't have come in and carried it off. At any rate, I expected every minute to see the spectre the baron told us about.' ' Pshaw !' cried Kirkland, in disgust. 'Don't talk nonsense, my man. If ghosts ever are permitted to wander in these old chambers, they don't break through seals and locks and carry away wills.' ' How do you know they don't ?' asked Duff, quickly, and with downright simple honesty. The old lawyer was posed. Before he could =>peak the watcher added, with a slight scoffing in his tone : ' And mind ye, Mr Kirkland, there weren't any seals on the locks at that time.' 5 Well, well, I suppose you didn't see the ghost, did you V Evidently the man was itching — itching terribly — to tell the story of the spectre ; and he might have blundered into it had he not caught a glance from the flashing eyes of his master that pulled him up in season. A thing happened, however, in connection with the scene, that was to work a wonderful result in the future. Malcolm MacGregor chanced to catch that glance from Reynard Bevern towards hi.s abject tool. He had already made up his mind that Duff knew more than he was willing to tell, and now he knew it. When the fellow had been dismissed, and was leaving the room, theknightturned to Blanche, and whispered into her ear : c Blanche, keep your eye on that man when you can. He knows more than he is willing to tell. ' She caught his meaning, and understood it. She dared not reply in words, but the glance she gave him was sufficient. Bevern again burst forth into a volley of profanity and abuse, but the lawyer did not pay attention. As soon as the man M urtagh had gone, he called the doctor aside, and together they consulted, but only for a short time. Coming back, he stood in front of the open cabinet, and said, calmly and reeolu'-ely : ' My friends, as executors of both wills — this which I hold in my hand, and another, which has mysbeiiou&ly disappeared, but which, we do know, was made on good faith, and was ju&fc and righteous under the circumstances — Griffith and I do most emphatically and peremptorily refuse to publish this old will,— at least for the present. What the future may bring forth I cannot say. For now I can only say the king is true and legitimate guardian of all minor heirs, and to him we shall appeal. 3 Pale even to the lips, and struggling with all his might to prevent his passion from gaining complete mastery, "Reynard took a step forward, and said, in hoarse, gasping tones : ' Kirkland ! You are a false hound and a liar ! You know you lie ! You talk of minor heirs. Am I a minor ? Do you call me an infant within the meaning of the law ? Old man, you know that the will which you hold in your hand makes me heir of Ravendale ! Oho ! look not surprised. My uncle told me what he had done— told me with his own lips. That will makes me master of the castle and of the broad domain. Ay, and more !' with a gleam of malignant triumph towards Blanche. 'It makes me master of yonder fair lady — it gives her to me for my wife. Am I not right ? Dare you— can you — dispute me ? No ! you cannot.' At this point he turned a glance upon his rival. There was a dangerous light in his coal-black eyes, and a tempest of passion in the bloodless, quivering lips, but he did not speak the words that had evidently come to his thought for utterance. There was something in the calm, tranquil dignity of the youthful knight, and, it may be, in the wondrous power of his magnificent frame, that led him to hold his peace in that quarter. He turned back again, to the lawyer, to whom he added : { And now, David Kirkland. and you, Herman Griffith ! You claim to be executors of my uncle's will. Execute it or not, as you plea&e. I know what is in it, and 1 will take the execution into my own hands. From this time lam master here. Do you shake your head? What &ays that will you hold in your hand ? Why don't you carry it down and read it ? I tell you you will be obliged to come to it in the end. You dare not destroy it. That you know.' 'Ye?,' ventured the lawyer, unable to let 1 the opportunity slip. ' I know very well I dare not destroy it. Had such, a thing on my part been thought possible, be sure it | would not have been left behind when the I other was taken !' , ■ < , ' Ha ! what mean ye by that ? Would you ' insinuate, old man, tnat - Pshaw !. I'll be a fool with you if I allow your flings to worry me l' One thing wo all "know : A will is in existence, and is in your hands. Furthermore, that the will makes me master of Ravendale. Now, sir, keep it ; execute it ; hide it away : do what you please with it ; I propose to assert my claim, and assume my rights. Once more I say to you : — I am master hore ! - { Malcolm,' he went on, turning to the youthful hero, who stood by Blanche's side — he smiled as he spoke, but it was a smile far from friendly — -' you are my guest; In memory of old times I bid you- welcome. l Bub — beware how you trench upon the] rights of the master !' > , , The ■ blood of the MacGregors was aroused, and the knight's clear, pearly'

■■■—■■ i „ , i i . ±¥Tv;v^ I orbs t emi feted sparks, of/ fire ; - ,b u fe he^ irej memberedHhe presence 'ot the < lady^and/,' j.he caught, too,' 1 the -'earnest) prayerful ; glance, she turned ' towards him.'^ Witli \ a control of his spirit" so perfect that" not -a muscle was seen 1 to quiver, /he-r,, bowed with quiet T grace, as he calmly responded : , - . 'ifceyuard, for the hospitality you offer I am grateful. If I should trench upon, your ' rights, you .will inform me. ' ' Never fear, you'll know it soon enough" ! This with a significant nod, * and a laugh ', in keeping. Then* he turned to the lawyer and added: , ,k, k ' Kirkland, you have my word for what I will do, and I' think you know^ me well enough to know that 1 will do it. > And* now if you have nothing further to say, I will join my guests in the court, and leave you to dismiss the waiting crew assembled to listen to the reading of the will. Only bear this in mind : If you attempt to pour into the ears of our friends below any of your calumny^ against myself, be sure I shall be near enough to overhear and defend myself. Oho"'. I can imagine the tender things that will be said of me behind my back, but lam used to it. Go on. Don't fear to speak your minds. But,' and he smiled the smile of a demon incarnate, ' remember that the walls have ears, and that the master of Ravendale has a fair appetite for vengeance.' And with' this he turned and fcbrode from the chamber, closing the door behind him as he passed out. For a time four persons left behind stood where Bevern had left them, gazing upon one another in a sorb of stupefaction. MacGregor was the first to speak. 'My friends, I am considerably in the dark. Will you tell me of this new will — of its making and of its nature ?' Kirkland looked from the face of che speaker into the troubled eyes of Blanche, She saw the query in his look, and said to him: ' I have not mentioned the subject to hico. It was not my province.' 'Right, my dear child, as you always are,' the old man said, with a pleasant smile. Then he turned back to the other, and told him the story of the will — told why the baron had made it— how he had made it, and all about it ; so that in the end Malcolm was as well informed as though he had been present at the making, and had read the will after it had been completed. But to make the thing more sure, the lawyer placed in his hands the old will, and bade him to read it, substituting his own name in every place where the name ot "Reynard Bevern occurred. This he did. Then he refolded the parchment and cave it back bo the attorney, saying as he did so : ' This is to me so unexpected— -so astounding — that I must hays time for thought. There is much for us all to consider. Ah ! where is the new will ? What can have become of ib ? Mr Kirkland, what is your opinion ?' 'At this moment, Malcolm, I will not speak my thoughts. As you say, there is mucli for us all to consider. For the presentl will go down and dismiss the assembly below ; and lhis> evening, when we have had time for thought, and, perhaps, for observation, we shall meet again and compare notes. Shall ib be so ?' And they all answered : • Yes.'