Miss Buncle Married by D. E. Stevenson Read Free Book Online

to sit and doze a little while Mr. Tyler was away. “Is it necessary? I mean couldn’t I see the house first?”
    â€œI am afraid it will be necessary, or at least advisable, for you to glance over the draft,” Mr. Tyler told her. “You will find it in order—I have no doubt of that, for we followed your—ah—instructions with the—ah—greatest care—I will explain everything when I return.”
    He handed her the document with a low bow, and hurried away.
    Barbara took the document; it was all rather queer, but Mr. Tyler had said he would explain everything when he returned. She was glad of that, because there were quite a lot of things she wanted him to explain. The document on the face of it, did not seem to bear any reference to The Archway House, but Mr. Tyler had told her to read it—nay, he had said it was essential that she should read it—so she supposed she had better do so—she was an amenable woman.
    The typewritten document appeared to be a will. Barbara had seen her father’s will and had had it explained to her, so she was able to decipher the peculiar language quite easily. The will started by declaring that it was the last will of Matilda Victoria Chevis Cobbe, revoking all other wills and testaments made by that lady and bequeathing all her worldly goods (and she seemed to be extraordinarily well endowed with worldly goods) to her deceased husband’s niece, Jeronina Mary Cobbe, commonly residing at Ganthorne Lodge, Ganthorne. This bequest was, strangely, to hold good only on the condition that the said Jeronina Mary Cobbe was unmarried at the time of the testator’s death. If the said Jeronina Mary Cobbe were married at the time of the testator’s death, the bequest was to go to Archibald Edward Cobbe, the brother of the said Jeronina, with various provisos and conditions which did not interest Barbara in the least. There were legacies to different people, Bertrand Chevis and Sir Lucian Agnew and Dr. Charles Wrench, and smaller ones to servants and dependents, and there were bequests to charities such as Indigent Gentlewomen and Necessitous Governesses and Children’s Homes and Hospitals, but, look as she would, Barbara could find nothing about The Archway House in the will, nothing at all. At the end of the will there was a blank space for the signature of the testator, and on this was scribbled in pencil MVCC, and below were two more blank spaces for the signatures of the witnesses.
    The whole thing was most peculiar, thought Barbara (who was now beginning to recover from Mr. Tyler’s port), most peculiar. What a strange will it was with that clause disinheriting the said Jeronina Mary Cobbe if she were married at the time of the testator’s death. Barbara looked again, more carefully, to see if she had made any mistake, but there was no mistake at all. It was perfectly clear. If Jeronina (and what a funny name—rather nice, Barbara thought), if Jeronina was unmarried she was the residuary legatee, and raked in everything; if she was married she was fobbed off with two thousand pounds and some jewelry. Quite nice, of course, Barbara reflected, quite nice if you weren’t expecting more, but a mere drop in the ocean compared with what the said Jeronina would get if she remained single. How funny not to want that girl to get married, Barbara thought. Matilda Thingummibob must be mad. (Barbara, herself, was delighted with matrimony and thought it the most desirable state on earth.)
    Mr. Tyler was away a long time. He returned full of the most abject apologies. Barbara was delighted to see him, not only because she had taken a fancy to the kind little man, but also because she had been floundering in the bog of bewilderment too long. She was very ready for the explanations which had been promised her.
    â€œMost aggravating!” said Mr. Tyler, bustling in like a fussy little steamboat. “Most aggravating. A call