The American Senator eBook

This happened on a Wednesday,—­Wednesday the 3rd of March.  On Friday morning, at 4 o’clock, during the darkness of the night, John Morton was lying dead on his bed, and the old woman was at his bedside.  She had done her duty by him as far as she knew how in tending him, had been assiduous with the diligence of much younger years; but now as she sat there, having had the fact absolutely announced to her by Dr. Nupper, her greatest agony arose from the feeling that the roof which covered her, probably the chair in which she sat, were the property of Reginald Morton—­“Bastard!” she said to herself between her teeth; but she so said it that neither Dr. Nupper, who was in the room, nor the woman who was with her should hear it.

Dr. Nupper took the news into Dillsborough, and as the folk sat down to breakfast they all heard that the Squire of Bragton was dead.  The man had been too little known, had been too short a time in the neighbourhood, to give occasion for tears.  There was certainly more of interest than of grief in the matter.  Mr. Masters said to himself that the time had been too short for any change in the will, and therefore felt tolerably certain that Reginald would be the heir.  But for some days this opinion was not general in Dillsborough.  Mr. Mainwaring had heard that Reginald had been sent away from Bragton with a flea in his ear, and was pretty certain that when the will was read it would be found that the property was to go to Mrs. Morton’s friends.  Dr. Nupper was of the same opinion.  There were many in Dillsborough with whom Reginald was not popular;—­and who thought that some man of a different kind would do better as Squire of Bragton.  “He don’t know a fox when he sees ’un,” said Tony Tuppett to Larry Twentyman, whom he had come across the county to call upon and to console.

CHAPTER X

The Will

On that Saturday the club met at Dillsborough,—­even though the Squire of Bragton had died on Friday morning.  Through the whole of that Saturday the town had been much exercised in its belief and expressions, as to the disposition of the property.  The town knew very well that Mr. Masters, the attorney, had been sent for to Bragton on the previous Wednesday,—­whence the deduction as to a new will, made of course under the auspices of Mrs. Morton, would have been quite plain to the town, had not a portion of the town heard that the attorney had not been for a moment with the dying man during his visit.  This latter piece of information had come through Lady Ushant, who had been in her nephew’s bedroom the whole time;—­but Lady Ushant had not much personal communication with the town generally, and would probably have said nothing on this subject had not Mr. Runciman walked up to Hoppet Hall behind the fly, after Mr. Masters had left it; and, while helping her ladyship out, made inquiry as to the condition of things at Bragton generally.