"A moment ago you said you were a friend of my father's. Surely if you are you will not keep me in suspense regarding my future." "Suspense is entirely unnecessary," answered the lawyer, his sphinx-like face relaxing into a cold smile. "Why?" "Well, unfortunately, you need not expect anything." "Not anything?" gasped the young man, blankly. "Then am I penniless?" The solicitor nodded, and opening a paper he had held behind him on entering, said,-- "When you had left the room half-an-hour ago Sir John expressed a desire to make an addition to his will, and entirely against my inclination made me write what you see here. He signed it while still in his right mind, the two doctors witnessing it. It is scarcely a professional proceeding to show it to you at this early stage, nevertheless, perhaps, as you are the son of my old friend, and it so closely concerns your future welfare, you may as well know the truth at once. Read for yourself." George took the paper in his trembling fingers and read the six long lines of writing, the ink of which was scarcely yet dry. Three times he read them ere he could understand their exact purport. The cold formal words crushed all joy from his heart, for he knew, alas! that the woman he loved could never be his. It was the death-warrant to all his hopes and aspirations. He could not now ask Liane to be his wife. With set teeth he sighed, flung down the will upon the table with an angry gesture, and casting himself again into his armchair, sat staring straight before him without uttering a word. In addition to being cruel and unjust the codicil was certainly of a most extraordinary character. By it there was bequeathed to "my son George Basil Stratfield" the sum of one hundred thousand pounds on one condition only, namely, that within two years he married Mariette, daughter of a certain Madame Lepage, whose address was given as 89, Rue Toullier, Paris. If, however, it was discovered that Mariette was already married, or if she refused to accept the twenty thousand pounds that were to be offered her on condition that she consented to marry his son, then one-half the amount, namely, 50,000 pounds, was to be paid by the executors to George, and the remaining 50,000 pounds, together with the 20,000 pounds, was to revert to his elder brother. "It certainly is a most extraordinary disposition," old Mr Harrison reflected aloud, taking up the will again, and re-reading the words he had written at his dead client's dictation. "How does my father think I can marry a woman I've never seen?" cried the son. "Why, the thing's absolutely absurd. He must have been insane when he ordered you to write such a preposterous proposal." "No, he was entirely in his right mind," answered the elder man, calmly. "I must confess myself quite as surprised as you are; nevertheless, it is certain that unless you offer marriage to this mysterious young person you will obtain nothing."