I took the lamp, and lighted Mr. Brightman into the front room, his own exclusively. He opened the iron safe, and there deposited Sir Ralph Clavering's will, to be left there until it should be proved. That is sufficient explanation for the present. Sir Edmund Clavering, shown up by Lennard himself, came into the room. I had never acted for him; Mr. Brightman had invariably done so. "Can you carry my business through, Mr. Strange?" he asked, after expressing his shock and regret at Mr. Brightman's sudden fate. "I hope so. Why not, Sir Edmund?" "You have not Mr. Brightman's legal knowledge and experience." "Not his experience, certainly; because he was an old man and I am a young one. But, as far as practice goes, I have for some time had chief control of the business. Mr. Brightman almost confined himself to seeing clients. You may trust me, Sir Edmund." "Oh yes, I dare say it will be all right," he rejoined. "Do you know that Lady Clavering and her cousin John--my cousin also--mean to dispute the will?" "Upon what grounds?" "Upon Sir Ralph's incompetency to make one, I suppose--as foul a plea as ever false woman or man invented. Mr. Brightman can prove---- Good heavens! every moment I forget that he is dead," broke off Sir Edmund. "How unfortunate that he should have gone just now!" "But there cannot fail to be ample proof of Sir Ralph's competency. The servants about him must know that he was of sane and healthy mind." "I don't know what her schemes may be," rejoined Sir Edmund; "but I do know that she will not leave a stone unturned to wrest my rights from me. I am more bitter than gall and wormwood to her." "Because you have inherited most of the money." "Ay, for one thing. But there's another reason, more galling to her even than that." Sir Edmund looked at me with a peculiar expression. He was about my own age, and would have been an exceedingly pleasant man but for his pride. When he could so far forget that as to throw it off, he was warm and cordial. "Her ladyship is a scheming woman, Mr. Strange. She flung off into a fit of resentment at first, which Mr. Brightman witnessed, but very shortly her tactics changed. Before Sir Ralph had been three days in his grave, she contrived to intimate to me that we had better join interests. Do you understand?" I did not know whether to understand or not. It was inconceivable. "And I feel ashamed to enlighten you," said Sir Edmund passionately. "She offered herself to me; my willing wife. 'If you will wed no other woman, I will wed no other man----' How runs the old ballad? Not in so many words, but in terms sufficiently plain to be deciphered. I answered as plainly, and declined. Declined to join interests--declined _her_--and so made her my mortal enemy for ever. Do you know her?" "I never saw her."