"But he stood hesitating, loth, as I now believe, to leave us together, though that was exactly what I desired, which she, seeing, feverishly clutched my sleeve, and, with a force of which I should not have thought her capable, made wild gestures to the effect that I should not delay any longer, but read it to her myself. "Seeing by this, as I thought, that her own feelings were, notwithstanding my doubts, really engaged in the same direction as his, I desisted from my efforts to separate the two, if it were only for a moment, and read the will aloud. It ran thus: "The last will and testament of Cynthia Wakeham, widow of John Lapham Wakeham, of Flatbush, Kings County, New York. "First: I direct all my just debts and funeral expenses to be paid. "Second: I give, devise, and bequeath to my brother, Hiram Huckins, all the property, real and personal, which I own, or to which I may be entitled, at the time of my death, and I appoint him the sole executor of this my last will and testament. "Witness my hand this fifth day of June, in the year eighteen hundred and eighty-eight. "Signed, published, and declared by the } Testatrix to be her last will and testament, } in our presence who, at her request and } in her presence and in the presence of } each other, have subscribed our names } hereto as witnesses, on this 5th day of } June, 1888. } "'Is that the expression of your wishes?' I asked, when I had finished. "She nodded, and reached out her hand for the pen. "'You must wait,' said I, 'for the witnesses.' "But even as I spoke their approach was heard, and Huckins was forced to go to the door with the lamp, for the hall was pitch dark and the stairs dangerous. As he turned his back upon us, I thought Mrs. Wakeham moved and opened her lips, but I may have been mistaken, for his black and ominous shadow lay over her face, and I could discern but little of its expression. "'Is there anything you want?' I asked her, rising and going to the bedside. "But Huckins was alert to all my movements, if he had stepped for a moment away. "'Give her water,' he cried, wheeling sharply about. And pointing to a broken glass standing on the floor at her side, he watched me while I handed it to her. "'She mus'n't give out now,' he pursued, with one eye on us and the other on the persons coming upstairs. "'She will not,' I returned, seeing her face brighten at the sound of approaching steps. "'It's Miss Thompson and Mr. Dickey,' now spoke up the gruff voice of Briggs from the foot of the steps. 'No other folks was up, so I brought them along.' "The young woman, who at this instant appeared in the doorway, blushed and cast a shy look over her shoulder at the fresh-faced man who followed her.