The Mynns' Mystery

by George Manville Fenn

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.

  LEGAL ADVICE.

  "Hullo! What do you want? Never sent for you."

  "No," said Doctor Lawrence gruffly, "I came without," and he seatedhimself in one of the old, worn, leather covered chairs in the lawyer'sprivate room at Lincoln's Inn.

  "But I'm right as a trivet, Lawrence, and if I was not, I should notconsult you."

  "I know that. You never did."

  "Well, you never came to me about your legal affairs."

  "Of course I did not. If I had we should never have remained friends."

  "Humph! Then you think I should have ruined you."

  "Well, you think I should have poisoned you."

  "There! get out. What's the matter, Lawrence?"

  "I've come to consult you."

  "You have? Then hang it all, old chap, I'll have jaundice or gout nextweek."

  "About The Mynns' affairs."

  "Oh! Then I'll keep quite well. What's the matter now?"

  "Sit down, Hampton, and let's talk quietly, old fellow, as friends."

  The old lawyer sat down, took a penknife from a drawer, and throwinghimself back in his chair, began to pare his nails.

  "Well, what is it?" he said.

  "I'm very uncomfortable about the state of affairs down yonder."

  "So am I, and I get no peace of my life."

  "How's that?"

  "The wife!"

  "Oh! Shouldn't have married."

  "Too late to alter that now."

  "But what do you mean?"

  "Mean? Why, of course, situated as we were, the wife agreed to poorlittle Gertrude's wishes, and stayed at The Mynns to play propriety tillthose two were married; and now I want to get home to my own fireside,but we seem regularly stuck, and the worst of it is, we are unwelcomevisitors."

  "Yes, I saw that."

  "Then can you imagine a more unpleasant position for a well-to-do oldchap like myself; staying at a house where your host always shows youthat you are not wanted?"

  "No. It is hard; and for unselfish reasons."

  "I wouldn't stop another hour with the rowdy Yankee scoundrel, only MrsHampton says I must."

  "For Gertrude's sake, of course."

  "Oh, hang your of `course,'" cried the lawyer angrily.

  "Call yourself a friend! Why don't you advise me to go?"

  "Can't," said the doctor, putting his hat upon the top of his cane, andspinning it slowly round.

  "Don't do that, man. It fidgets me."

  The doctor took his hat off the cane meekly, and set it on the table,after which he laid his cane across his knees, and began to roll itslowly to and fro, as if he were making paste.

  "I say, Lawrence," cried the old lawyer querulously, "don't do that.You give me the creeps."

  The doctor meekly laid his stick beside his hat, and put his hands inhis pockets.

  "Look here," he said, "what about that poor girl?"

  "Well, what about her?"

  "Are we to standstill and see her throw herself away upon this wretchedman?"

  "Can you show me a way out of the difficulty? If so, for goodness' sakespeak out."

  "Your wife! Cannot she influence her?"

  "No. She has done everything. The poor girl looks upon it as a duty tothe old man, and to his grandson; and she has made up her mind."

  "Tut--tut--tut--tut--tut!"

  "She believes that she can bring the fellow round to a better way oflife."

  "I don't, Hampton."

  "No more do I."

  "Think she loves him?"

  "No. Not a bit. She doesn't dislike him though, for he can makehimself agreeable when he chooses."

  "Then she will marry him?"

  "Not a doubt about it, doctor."

  There was a pause, broken by the lawyer doubling his fist and strikingthe table so heavy a blow that there was a cloud of pungent dustdirectly after in the doctor's nostrils, and he sneezed violently againand again.

  "Oh, you old fool!" cried the lawyer.

  "I beg your pardon," said the doctor, blowing his nose upon a greatyellow silk handkerchief. "It was your dust."

  "I don't mean that. I mean for not letting the brute die when you hadhim in your hands. It would have been a blessing for everybody."

  "Saul Harrington included, eh? I wonder what he would have given me tohave let him die."

  "Five thousand at least!"

  "Don't talk nonsense, man. Let's see if we cannot do something."

  "We can do nothing, sir. The wedding-day is fixed, and the poor littlegirl is going to swear she will love, honour, and obey a scoundrel, whowill break her pretty little heart while she sees him squander away thatmagnificent estate."

  "It's very, very terrible," said Doctor Lawrence thoughtfully; "and Icame here this morning in the hope that as co-executors we might dosomething to save the girl, even if we cannot save the estate."

  "There'll be nothing to save in half-a-dozen years, if he goes on ashe's going now. In the past three months there are ten thousand poundsgone spang!"

  "Spent?"

  "Heaven knows! Gambled away, I suppose. I have to keep on sellingstock, regardless of losses, and I do the best I can for him. If theapplications were made to some shady firm, they'd plunder himwholesale."

  "It's very sad," said the doctor, meekly.

  "Sad, sir! It's criminal. I don't know what he does with it all, but,between ourselves, Lawrence, I've a shrewd suspicion that he isremitting a good deal to the States."

  "What for?"

  "How should I know, sir? To pay old debts, perhaps. Ah, it's a sorrybusiness."

  "But surely we can do something."

  "Bah!"

  "Now, don't be angry, Hampton. If it was a leg or a wing diseased, Ishould know what to do, but in these legal matters I am a perfectchild."

  "You are, Lawrence, you are."

  "Well," said the doctor tartly, "knowing that, I came to you, as a legallight, to give me your opinion. Do you mean to tell me that we, as oldHarrington's executors, cannot interfere to stop this man from wastinghis substance and wrecking the life of that poor girl?"

  "Yes, sir, I do, plump and plain. Our duties were limited to seeingthat, after all bequests were paid, this gentlemanly young fellow fromthe Far West had all the money his old lunatic of a grandfather lefthim."

  "But--"

  "There, butt away till you break your skull, if you like, against thestone wall of the law. I, as a lawyer, can do nothing, but perhaps youcan--as a doctor."

  "In heaven's name, then, tell me what, for I feel heartbroken to see theway things are going."

  "Kill him."

  "What?"

  "I mean as you nearly did before, and blamed the chemist."

  "My dear Hampton, surely you acquit me of that business."

  "Oh, yes, if you like, but if I were you I'd get him into such an awfulstate of health that he should not want to spend money, and, as towedding, that's the last thing he should think of."

  "Absurd! absurd!" cried Doctor Lawrence angrily. "You non-professionalmen get the maddest notions into your heads."

  "Very well, then, try that."

  "Try what?"

  "That which you were hinting about--madness."

  "What?"

  "Can't you contrive to make it appear that the man is _non composmentis_. Then we lawyers could come in and get some one appointed toadminister the estate--I mean a judge would do that."

  "My dear Hampton, I came to you for good advice, and you talk trash tome."

  "I've told you--trash or not--the only way of getting out of thedifficulty, and I can do no more," said the lawyer pettishly. "There,Lawrence, old fellow, we will not quarrel over this unfortunate affair.We can do nothing but look on and advise. George Harrington will tellus to go to Jericho if we say a word; and as to the lady, when a good,pure-minded young girl takes it into her head that it is her duty to dosomething or another, the more you preach at her, and try to get her
tothink as you do, the more she looks upon you as a worldly-minded oldsinner, and persists in going her own gait. I can only see one thing todo."

  "Yes? What is it?" cried the doctor.

  "Ram a lot of legal jargon into the scoundrel, and frighten him intomaking ample settlements on the poor girl, tying it down so that hecan't touch it, nor she neither, except as payments fall due. Thenshe'll be safe when he dies of _delirium tremens_, or gets killed insome drunken brawl."

  "You think you can manage that, Hampton?" cried the doctor eagerly.

  "Yes, I fancy I can contrive that, but if he proves to be obstinate, youmust help me."

  "In any way I can."

  "That's right. Well, then, you'll have to bring him nearly to death'sdoor."

  "What?"

  "Not near enough to make your conscience uneasy, but just enough to makehim soft and workable. Sick men are the ones to make their wills, I cantell you. A hale, hearty man is as obstinate as a bull."

  "Look here, Hampton, if you expect me to degrade my noble profession byaiding and abetting in any dishonourable act, you are confoundedlymistaken, sir, and I wish you a very good morning."

  The doctor seized his hat and stick, put on the former with a bang whichthreatened injury to the skin of his forehead, and was going out of theroom when he received a slap on the back, and faced round fiercely, tofind the lawyer smiling as he held out his hand.

  "What a confounded old pepper-box you are, Lawrence! Hang it, man! whowants to do anything dishonourable? Do you think I do? Now, afterknowing me all these years, do you think it likely?"

  "No," cried the doctor, slapping his hand loudly into that of hisfriend; "but you shouldn't look so serious when you are cracking ajoke."

  "That's the perfection of joking, my dear boy. Seriously, though, Ishall try and force him into making heavy settlements upon that poorgirl."

  "By all means do; and I'd give something if we could break off thematch."

  "What do you say to forging a new will, forbidding the banns--eh?"

  The doctor looked into the dry and mirthful countenance before him,shook his head, and went to the door.

  "See you at dinner at The Mynns on Wednesday, I suppose?"

  "Oh, yes," said the lawyer, "for certain. We live there now, and if itwas not for poor little Gertrude, I should be very glad whenemancipation day came."