He and old MacKelpie took
care to be in time! Rather low, I thought it. Mr. St. Leger was reading
a letter. He had evidently come in but lately, for though he seemed to
be eager about it, he was only at the first page, and I could see that
there were many sheets. He did not look up when we came in, or till he
had finished the letter; and you may be sure that neither I nor my father
(who, as Head of the House, should have had more respect from him) took
the trouble to go to him. After all, he is a pauper and a wastrel, and
he has not the honour of bearing our Name. The General, however, came
forward and greeted us both cordially. He evidently had forgotten--or
pretended to have--the discourteous way he once treated me, for he spoke
to me quite in a friendly way--I thought more warmly than he did to
father. I was pleased to be spoken to so nicely, for, after all,
whatever his manners may be, he is a distinguished man--has won the V.C. and a Baronetcy. He got the latter not long ago, after the Frontier War
in India. I was not, however, led away into cordiality myself. I had
not forgotten his rudeness, and I thought that he might be sucking up to
me. I knew that when I had my dear Uncle Roger's many millions I should
be a rather important person; and, of course, he knew it too. So I got
even with him for his former impudence. When he held out his hand I put
one finger in it, and said, "How do?" He got very red and turned away. Father and he had ended by glaring at each other, so neither of us was
sorry to be done with him. All the time Mr. St. Leger did not seem to
see or hear anything, but went on reading his letter. I thought the old
MacSkelpie was going to bring him into the matter between us, for as he
turned away I heard him say something under his breath. It sounded like
"Help!" but Mr. S--- did not hear. He certainly no notice of it. As the MacS--- and Mr. S--- sat quite silent, neither looking at us, and
as father was sitting on the other side of the room with his chin in his
hand, and as I wanted to show that I was indifferent to the two S's, I
took out this notebook, and went on with the Record, bringing it up to
this moment. THE RECORD--_Continued_. When I had finished writing I looked over at Rupert. When he saw us, he jumped up and went over to father and shook his hand
quite warmly. Father took him very coolly. Rupert, however, did not
seem to see it, but came towards me heartily. I happened to be doing
something else at the moment, and at first I did not see his hand; but
just as I was looking at it the clock struck eleven. Whilst it was
striking Mr. Trent came into the room. Close behind him came his clerk,
carrying a locked tin box. There were two other men also. He bowed to
us all in turn, beginning with me. I was standing opposite the door; the
others were scattered about. Father sat still, but Sir Colin and Mr. St.
Leger rose. Mr. Trent not did shake hands with any of us--not even me. Nothing but his respectful bow. That is the etiquette for an attorney, I
understand, on such formal occasions. He sat down at the end of the big table in the centre of the room, and
asked us to sit round. Father, of course, as Head of the Family, took
the seat at his right hand. Sir Colin and St. Leger went to the other
side, the former taking the seat next to the attorney. The General
knows, of course, that a Baronet takes precedence at a ceremony. I may
be a Baronet some day myself, and have to know these things. The clerk took the key which his master handed to him, opened the tin
box, and took from it a bundle of papers tied with red tape. This he
placed before the attorney, and put the empty box behind him on the
floor. Then he and the other man sat at the far end of the table; the
latter took out a big notebook and several pencils, and put them before
him. He was evidently a shorthand-writer. Mr. Trent removed the tape
from the bundle of papers, which he placed a little distance in front of
him. He took a sealed envelope from the top, broke the seal, opened the
envelope, and from it took a parchment, in the folds of which were some
sealed envelopes, which he laid in a heap in front of the other paper. Then he unfolded the parchment, and laid it before him with the outside
page up. He fixed his glasses, and said:

"Gentlemen, the sealed envelope which you have seen me open is endorsed
'My Last Will and Testament--ROGER MELTON, _June_, 1906.' This
document"--holding it up--"is as follows:

    "'I Roger Melton of Openshaw Grange in the County of Dorset; of
    number one hundred and twenty-three Berkeley Square London; and of
    the Castle of Vissarion in the Land of the Blue Mountains, being of
    sound mind do make this my Last Will and Testament on this day Monday
    the eleventh day of the month of June in the year of Our Lord one
    thousand nine hundred and six at the office of my old friend and
    Attorney Edward Bingham Trent in number one hundred and seventy-six
    Lincoln's Inn Fields London hereby revoking all other wills that I
    may have formerly made and giving this as my sole and last Will
    making dispositions of my property as follows:

    "'1. To my kinsman and nephew Ernest Halbard Melton Esquire, justice
    of the Peace, Humcroft the County of Salop, for his sole use and
    benefit the sum of twenty thousand pounds sterling free of all Duties
    Taxes and charges whatever to be paid out of my Five per centum Bonds
    of the City of Montreal, Canada. "'2. To my respected friend and colleague as co-trustee to the Will
    of my late sister Patience late widow of the late Captain Rupert Sent
    Leger who predeceased her, Major-General Sir Colin Alexander
    MacKelpie, Baronet, holder of the Victoria Cross, Knight Commander of
    the Order of the Bath, of Croom in the county of Ross Scotland a sum
    of Twenty thousand pounds sterling free of all Taxes and charges
    whatsoever; to be paid out of my Five per centum Bonds of the City of
    Toronto, Canada. "'3. To Miss Janet MacKelpie presently residing at Croom in the
    County of Ross Scotland the sum of Twenty thousand pounds sterling
    free of all Duties Taxes and Charges whatsoever, to be paid out of my
    Five per centum Bonds of the London County Council. "'4. To the various persons charities and Trustees named in the
    schedule attached to this Will and marked A. the various sums
    mentioned therein, all free of Duties and Taxes and charges
    whatsoever.'" Here Mr. Trent read out the list here following, and announced for our
immediate understanding of the situation the total amount as two hundred
and fifty thousand pounds. Many of the beneficiaries were old friends,
comrades, dependents, and servants, some of them being left quite large
sums of money and specific objects, such as curios and pictures. "'5.