England -- Social life and customs -- Fiction; Short stories, English
"'But the girl was gone. It was not to Mrs. Campbell she could make a
moan. It was only the night-wind that caught the 'Oh, cruel!' which
broke from her as she went up the hill. Whether she slept that night
at all I am not able to say. Only when it was dawn she was out upon
the cliffs, her face very white and sad-looking. The fishermen who
were up early going out with the ebb saw her at times walking fast,
and then again standing still and looking seaward. But I do not know
what she was thinking, only I should fancy that the gulls had a
different cry for her now, and it is certain that when she returned
and came down into the parlour at Court for the funeral, there were
none of the Evanses could look her in the face with comfort.
"They were all there, of course. Mr. Llewellyn Evans--he was an
elderly man, with a grey beard like a bird's nest, and thick lips--was
sitting with his wife on the horse-hair sofa. The Evanses of Nant, who
were young men with lank faces and black hair combed upwards, were by
the door. The Evan Bevans were at the table; and there were others,
besides Mr. Griffith Hughes, who was undoing some papers when she
entered.
"He rose and shook hands with her, marking the dark hollows under her
eyes, and fixing it in his mind to get her a settlement. Then he
hesitated, looking doubtfully at the others. 'We are going to read the
will before the funeral instead of afterwards,' he said.
"'Oh!' she answered, taken aback--for she had forgotten all about the
will. 'I did not know. I will go, and come later.'
"'No, indeed!' cried Mrs. Llewellyn Evans, 'you will be doing well,
whatever, to hear the will--though no relation, to be sure.'
"But at that Gwen Madoc came in, and peered round with an air of
importance. 'Maybe some one,' she said in a low voice, 'would like to
take a last look at the master?'
"But no one moved. They sighed and shook their heads at one another as
if they would like to do so--but no one moved. They were anxious, you
see, to hear the will. Only Peggy, who had turned to go out, said,
'Yes, Gwen, I should,' and slipped out with the old woman.
"'There is nothing to keep us now?' said Mr. Hughes, briskly, when the
door was closed again. And every one nodding assent the lawyer went on
to read the will, which was not a long one. It was received with a
murmur of satisfaction, and much use of pocket-handkerchiefs.
"'Very fair,' said Mr. Llewellyn Evans. 'He was a very clever man, our
old friend.' All the legatees murmured after him 'Very fair!' and a
word went round about the home-brewed, and Robert Evans' recipe for
it. Then Llewellyn, who thought he ought to be taking the lead at
Court now, said it was time to be going to church.
"'There is one matter,' put in Mr. Griffith Hughes, 'which I think
ought to be settled while we are all together. You see that there is
a--what I may call a charge on the three portions of the property in
favour of Miss McNeill.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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