The Child of the Moat: A Story for Girls. 1557 A.D.Stoughton Holborn, I. B. (Ian Bernard)
History
The Child of the Moat: A Story for Girls. 1557 A.D.
Stoughton Holborn, I. B. (Ian Bernard)
Adventure stories; Girls -- Juvenile fiction; Great Britain -- History -- Mary I, 1553-1558 -- Juvenile fiction
IN ACCORDANCE WITH MY WILL, WHICH
LIETH BEHIND THE LOCK OPPOSITE THAT
WHICH CONCEALETH THE BOOK.
JAMES MOWBRAY.
Aline gazed in blank astonishment when she saw her own name.
“That is your great-grandmother’s name,” said Master Richard, “but it
is all right, the chest is yours all the same, as you are the sole
heiress of that line. But if you do not mind I should like to see the
will, even before you lift the velvet cloth.”
Aline ran upstairs, her heart beating with wild excitement, and was
followed by Audry. The lock moved exactly as the other one had done and
there lay the lost will.
“How stupid of us not to find it before,” said Audry, “but, oh, I am so
glad that something really good has come to you at last.”
They ran down again.
“Here it is,” said Audry, who was holding the will.
“Let his Grace read it,” said Master Richard, “as he is a disinterested
party.”
It was a long will, but the tenour of it was,--that the old Mowbray
estates at Middleton went to James Mowbray’s son, but the little
Holwick property, with half the contents of the library, was left to
his daughter, Aline, and to her heirs after her forever.
The will concluded,--“And that the said Aline Gillespie and my
son-in-law Angus Gillespie may be able to keep up the Holwick estate
in a manner that is befitting, I also bequeath for the use of the said
Aline and Angus and their heirs after them the great iron chest and its
contents, the which chest, with the name of Aline Gillespie inside,
is now within the secret room; and the means for the discovery of all
these things are in the little book in the library, concealed in the
lock opposite to this. The parchment with holes, that is hidden in the
cover of the aforesaid book, is to be placed over each page in turn and
the letters that appear through the holes may then be read as words.”
“Well, little one, I always suspected that the Holwick property might
be yours; but James Mowbray died suddenly and the will was never
found,” said Master Richard.
He saw clouds of anxiety gathering on the child’s face, so he went
on,--“You must not think about it now; let us look at the chest.”
Aline lifted the velvet and on the top was a tray. It was filled with
orphreys and other embroideries of the celebrated _opus anglicum_
and was of immense value. So perfectly had the chest fitted that the
colours were all as marvellous as the day they were done.
Below this was another tray, which contained exquisitely carved ivories
and wonderful enamel work, several beautifully bound illuminated
manuscripts of the highest possible excellence, many of the covers
being elaborately garnished with precious stones, and two jewelled
swords, one of Spanish make and one from Ferrara that almost equalled
Ian’s own.
Beneath this tray again was a layer of soft leather bags in ten rows of
five each, every one of which contained five hundred gold pieces.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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