"It is entailed, and can be inherited in the direct male line only."
"That is, it descends from father to son?"
"Exactly so."
"I see," said the young man, after a long pause.
"Then I am the last Earl of Cairnforth."
There was no answer. Mr. Menteith could not for his life have given one; besides, none seemed required. The earl said it as if merely stating a fact beyond which there is no appeal, and neither expecting nor desiring any refutation or contradiction.
"Now," Lord Cairnforth continued, suddenly changing the conversation, "let us speak once more of the Bruces, who, you say, might any day succeed to my fortune, and would probably make a very bad use of it."
"I believe so; upon my conscience I do!" said Mr. Menteith, earnestly, "else I never should have felt justified in keeping them out of your way as I have done."
"Who are they? I mean, of what does the family consist?"
"An old man--Colonel Bruce he calls himself, and is known as such in every disreputable gambling town on the Continent; a long tribe of girls, and one son, eldest or youngest, I forget which, who was sent to India through some influence I used for your father"s sake, but who may be dead by now for aught I know. Indeed, the utmost I have had to do with the family of late years has been paying the annuity granted them by the late earl, which I continued, not legally, but through charity, on trust that the present earl would never call me to account for the same."
"Most certainly I never shall."
"Then you will take my advice, and forgive my intruding upon you a little more of it?"
"Forgive? I am thankful, my good old friend, for every wise word you say to me."
Again the good lawyer hesitated: "There is a subject, one exceedingly difficult to speak of, but it should be named, since you might not think of it yourself. Lord Cairnforth, the only way in which you can secure your property against these Bruces is by at once making your will."
"Making my will!" replied the earl, looking as if the new responsibilities opening upon him were almost bewildering.
"Every man who has any thing to leave ought to make a will as soon as ever he comes of age. Vainly I urged this upon your father."
"My poor father! That he should die--so young and strong--and I should live--how strange it seems! You think, then--perhaps Dr.
Hamilton also thinks--that my life is precarious?"
"I can not tell; my dear lord, how could any man possibly tell?"
"Well, it will not make me die one day sooner or later to have made my will: as you say, every man ought to do it; I ought especially, for my life is more doubtful than most people"s, and it is a solemn charge to posses so large a fortune as mine."
"Yes. The good--or harm--that might be done with it is incalculable."
"I feel that--at least I am beginning to feel it."
And for a time the earl sat silent and thoughtful; the old lawyer fussing about, putting papers and debris of all sorts into their right places, but feeling it awkward to resume the conversation.
"Mr. Menteith, are you at liberty now? For I have quite made up my mind. This matter of the will shall be settled at once. It can be done?"
"Certainly."
"Sit down, then, and I will dictate it. But first you must promise not to interfere with any disposition I may see fit to make of my property."
"I should not have the slightest right to do so, Lord Cairnforth."
"My good old friend! Well, now, how shall we begin?"
"I should recommend your first stating any legacies you may wish to leave to dependents--for instance, Mrs. Campbell, or Malcolm, and then bequeathing the whole bulk of your estates to some one person-- some young person likely to outlive you, and upon whom you can depend to carry out all your plans and intentions, and make as good a use of your fortune as you would have done yourself. That is my principle as to choice of an heir. There are many instances in which blood is not thicker than water, and a friend by election is often worthier and dearer, besides being closer than any relative."
"You are right."
"Still, consanguinity must be considered a little. You might leave a certain sum to these Bruces--or if, on inquiry, you found among them any child whom you approved, you could adopt him as your heir, and he could take the name Montgomerie."
"No," replied the ear, decisively, "that name is ended. All I have to consider is my own people here--my tenants and servants. Whoever succeeds me ought to know them all, and be to them exactly what I have been, or rather what I hope to be."
"Mr. Cardross, for instance. Were you thinking of him as your heir?"
"No, not exactly," replied Lord Cairnforth, slightly coloring. "He is a little too old. Besides, he is not quite the sort of person I should wish--too gentle and self-absorbed--too little practical."
"One of his sons, perhaps?"
"No, nor one of yours either; to whom, by the way you will please to set down a thousand pounds apiece. Nay, don"t look so horrified; it will not harm them. But personally I do not know them, nor they me. And my heir should be some one whom I thoroughly do know, thoroughly respect, thoroughly love. There is but one person in the world--one young person--who answers to all those requisites."
"Who is that?"
"Helen Cardross."
Mr. Menteith was a good deal surprised. Though he had a warm corner in his heart for Helen, still, the idea of her as heiress to so large an estate was novel and startling. He did not consider himself justified in criticizing the earl"s choice; still, he thought it odd. True, Helen was a brave, sensible, self-dependent woman--not a girl any longer --and accustomed from the age of fifteen to guide a household, to be her father"s right hand, and her brothers" help and counselor--one of those rare characters who, without being exactly masculine, are yet not too feebly feminine--in whom strength is never exaggerated to boldness, nor gentleness deteriorated into weakness. She was firm, too; could form her own opinion and carry it out; though not accomplished, was fairly well educated, possessed plenty of sound practical knowledge of men and things, and, above all, had habits of extreme order and regularity. People said, sometimes, that Miss Cardross ruled not only the Manse, but the whole parish; however, if so, she did it in so sweet a way that n.o.body ever objected to her government.
All these things Mr. Menteith ran over in his acute mind within the next few minutes, during which he did not commit himself to any remarks at all. At last he said,
"I think, my lord, you are right. Helen"s no bonnie, but she is a rare creature, with the head of a man and the heart of a woman. She is worth all her brothers put together, and, under the circ.u.mstances, I believe you could not do better than make her your heiress."
"I am glad you think so," was the brief answer. Though, by the expression of the earl"s face, Mr. Menteith clearly saw that, whether he had thought it or not, the result would have been just the same. He smiled a little to himself, but he did not dispute the matter. He knew that one of the best qualities the earl possessed--most blessed and useful to him, as it is to every human being--was the power of making up his own mind, and acting upon it with that quiet resolution which is quite distinct from obstinacy--obstinacy, usually the last strong-hold of cowards, and the bl.u.s.tering self-defense of fools.
"There is but one objection to your plan, Lord Cairnforth. Miss Cardross is young--twenty-six, I think."
"Twenty-five and a half."
"She may not remain always Miss Cardross. She may marry; and we can not tell what sort of man her husband may be, or how fit to be trusted with so large a property."
"So good a woman is not likely to choose a man unworthy of her," said Lord Cairnforth, after a pause. "Still, could not my fortune be settled upon herself as a life-rent, to descend intact to her heirs--that is, her children?"
"My dear lord, how you must have thought over every thing!"
"You forget, my friend, I have nothing to do but to sit thinking."
There was a sad intonation in the voice which affected Mr. Menteith deeply. He made no remark, but busied himself in drawing up the will, which Lord Cairnforth seemed nervously anxious should be completed that very day.
"For, suppose any thing should happen--if I died this night, for instance! No, let what is done be done as soon as possible, and as privately."