"I won't say a word to either. I don't care much about them, now I see how grasping they are, though it's only natural I suppose. Mrs. Drake treated them more like relations than servants, and they are quite sure she meant them to own everything." "They know my aunt left a will," said George. "She left about a hundred," laughed Nellie. "Kezia has fifty, Bessie has forty, Miss Sophy has two, and I have one." "But the will in my favour is the only legal one; and it's the only one the trustees know about." "Some of the papers were signed and dated, though none were witnessed. Anyhow, they are all later than your will," said Nellie. George thought he could see what she was driving at. Miss Yard would leave the entire property to Nellie if she could; and his aunt had certainly left a scrap of paper expressing a wish that her sister should own the house. No doubt Nellie has this document hidden away safely. It did not matter much, and yet George felt uncomfortable at the idea of his wife owning the property. "I'll tell you the truth," he said boldly. "My aunt lost her affection for me rather during the last years of her life, as she thought I didn't put my whole heart into my work, and perhaps she didn't want me to own the property. Still, she never destroyed the will, and that leaves the house to me." "But who owns the furniture?" "Last week it was mine. Now it belongs to Aunt Sophy." "You never gave it her!" "She has bought it. I offered it to her through Hunter, and he advised Percy to buy it with her money." "That means the furniture belongs to Mr. Taverner." "Aunt Sophy paid every penny of the purchase money, therefore it belongs to her. I have you as a witness to prove it." "She advanced the money to Mr. Taverner. She didn't even know what he wanted it for," cried Nellie. "It will come out at her death, when Percy claims the furniture. We must keep the cheque, produce it to Percy, and demand an explanation. If he refuses to withdraw his claim, we will threaten to expose his knavish tricks before his high-minded Emmie, the whole of her virtuous family, and the immaculate firm of Cross and Martin." "We!" laughed Nellie. "Do you suppose I will be the accomplice of your villainy?" "This afternoon," said George, "I am going into town, and there I shall buy a sixpenny printed form of Will. I shall then insert what is necessary, words to the effect that all the furniture, with everything that Aunt Sophy dies possessed of, are to come to you. I have kept a copy of aunt's will, which was properly drawn up by a lawyer, so I shall know how to do it. Then you must ask Aunt Sophy to sign it. Kezia and Bessie ought to be the witnesses. It would serve them right," said George, chuckling vastly. "I'll have nothing to do with it," cried Nellie.