mrs. oakley was not only angry, but very much disturbed at the words which john had imprudently uttered. they startled her, because they intimated john's suspicion of something which she had good reason for knowing to be a fact.
mrs. oakley knew that her husband had executed a later will, and, though she did not know where it was, she believed it still to be in existence!
the will under which she inherited bore a date only two months after her marriage with squire oakley. she had cunningly influenced him to make it. he did so without proper consideration, and gave the will into her custody. but, though his wife carefully concealed from him her real character, she could not do so entirely. little things, which came under his observation, led him to believe that she entertained a secret dislike for john, and, only three months before his death, squire oakley, to protect john's[83] interests, made a second will, which superseded the first, and limited his wife to that portion of his property which she could legally claim,—that is, one third.
he did not see fit to apprise his wife of this step. but she was watchful and observant, and something led her to suspect what had been done. she determined to find out secretly, and with this end went to the desk where her husband kept his private papers, one day when she supposed him to be absent, and began to search for the suspected will. after a while she found it, and, spreading it open, began to read:—
"i, henry oakley, being of sound mind," etc.
she had read so far, when a heavy hand was laid upon her shoulder. turning with a start, she saw her husband, his face dark with anger, looking sternly at her.
"give me that document, mrs. oakley," he said, abruptly.
she did not dare do otherwise than obey.
"by what right do you come here to pry into my private papers?" he demanded.
"i am your wife," she said.
"that is true. you are my wife; but that does not authorize your stealing in here like a thief, and secretly examining papers, which would have[84] been shown you if they had been intended for your eyes."
"does not that paper relate to me?" she asked, boldly.
"it relates to my property."
"it is your will."
"yes."
"and it makes the one which i hold of no value."
"it does."
"so you are secretly plotting against my interests," she said, angrily. "i suspected as much, and i determined to find out."
"the will of which you speak never ought to have been made. it disinherits my son, and places him in your power."
"could you not trust me to provide for him?" asked mrs. oakley.
"i fear not," said her husband. and her eyes fell before his steady glance. she felt that she was better understood than she had supposed.
"so you have placed me in john's power," she said, bitterly.
"i have done nothing of the kind."
"have you not left the property to him?"
"you well know that you are entitled by law to one-third of my estate."
[85]
"one-third!"
"yes."
"and he is to have two-thirds?"
"why should he not? if i had not married a second time he would have had the whole."
"and my son ben is left unprovided for?" questioned mrs. oakley, in a tone of mingled anger and disappointment.
"ben has no claim upon me."
"poor boy! so he will be penniless."
"you appear to forget that your share of the property will amount to twenty thousand dollars. he need not suffer, unless his mother should refuse to provide for him."
but this did not suit mrs. oakley's views. she was not at all reconciled to the thought that john oakley, whom she disliked, would inherit forty thousand dollars, while she and ben must live on half that sum. she was fond of money and the position it would bring, and although twenty thousand dollars would once have seemed to her a great fortune, her desires had increased with her prosperity, and she now thought it a hardship that she should be limited to such a trifle. she was by no means reconciled to the thought that ben must play second fiddle to his rich stepbrother. still john was young, and if she were[86] his guardian that would be something. so she smoothed her face and said:—
"i suppose you have appointed me john's guardian?"
squire oakley shook his head.
"i have appointed mr. selwyn to that position. it is more fitting that a lawyer should have the care of property," he said.
there was another reason which he did not mention. he thought that john's interests would be safer in mr. selwyn's hands than in those of his wife.
"this is an insult to me," said mrs. oakley, angry and disappointed. "it will be declaring to the world that you have no confidence in me."
"nothing of the kind. even were you his real mother, there would be nothing strange in my leaving him to the guardianship of another."
but mrs. oakley looked angry, and for days afterwards wore an offended and injured look. she appeared to forget from what poverty and dependence squire oakley had delivered her, and how many favors he had lavished upon ben, who had no claim upon him save in his relationship to her.
three days afterwards, squire oakley asked his[87] wife for the will which she had had in her possession for nearly three years.
"why do you want it?" she asked.
"because it is of no value now, since i have made a later will. i wish to destroy it."
mrs. oakley said she would look for it. if she did so, she took care not to look in the right place, for she reported that it was mislaid, and she could not find it.
"it is rather strange that you should have mislaid a document which might have been of such importance," said squire oakley, significantly.
"i am always mislaying things," said she, forcing a laugh. "i will look again to-morrow."
but the will was not found, and squire oakley drew his own deductions from this fact. painful as it was to suspect his wife, he feared that his second will would not be safe if she could once get it into her possession. he saw, too late, that he had married a selfish and unscrupulous woman. he determined, therefore, to conceal the document, which so vitally affected his son's interests, in a hiding-place where it would be safe from mrs. oakley's prying disposition. he did so. but he did not foresee at that time how soon he would be struck with paralysis that would affect his speech, and render it difficult for him to reveal[88] the secret to those who ought to know it. so it happened, however. from the time paralysis attacked him, mrs. oakley kept vigilant watch over him, and did all she could to keep john away from his father's bedside, lest the secret should be revealed to him. meanwhile, she sought everywhere for the missing will, but couldn't find it. the most she feared was that it had been placed in the lawyer's hands for safe-keeping. it ought to have been. squire oakley, as he lay on his sick-bed, regretted bitterly that it had not been so disposed of. it would have saved him from much anxiety. john obtained one interview with him, as we know, but his father was unable to impart to him the desired information, and the sudden entrance of mrs. oakley destroyed his last chance.
the rest we know. squire oakley died; his wife produced the earlier will, which she now had no difficulty in finding, and under that claimed and inherited the whole property. a search was instituted for the late will, under the lawyer's directions, but it was not found. mrs. oakley found herself, to her secret delight, the undisputed mistress of her late husband's handsome estate. she had hoped that john knew nothing of the later will; but the words to which he gave utterance at the close of the last chapter undeceived[89] her. it was clear that he knew something of it, and he had expressed a determination to find it. that it was somewhere in the house, mrs. oakley believed, and, if so, it was very possible that john might stumble upon it. the result would be that she would be compelled to surrender two-thirds of the property, and he would become independent of her. aside from the large pecuniary loss, she could not bear to think of john's release from her persecutions. at present, she pleased herself with thinking that he was in her power, and that she could "break his proud spirit," as she termed it, though, as we have seen, john was disposed to be respectful, and only displayed such a proper spirit as his self-respect demanded.
"if i could only find the will myself," thought mrs. oakley, "there would be no further trouble."
she did not say to herself, that, should such a discovery be made, it would plainly be her duty to make it known to squire selwyn, who had always been her late husband's lawyer. she did not consider what she should do with it, but we who have obtained a glimpse of her character may easily guess that in her hands it would not have benefited john much.
the point for mrs. oakley to consider was how to protect herself against any sudden discovery of[90] john's. she saw that it would be dangerous for her to have him continue in the house, and she resolved to send him away. where, she could not at once decide.
having determined upon this, it occurred to her once more to visit her husband's desk, and examine it carefully, in the hope of discovering some secret drawer, in which the will might have been concealed.
it was now evening. she lit a lamp, and went to the small room which squire oakley had used for reading and writing in, and went at once to the desk. it was old-fashioned, with a variety of small drawers. these she had examined more than once, but she opened them again, in the hope of discovering some false bottom, which had served as a means of concealment. while she was intent upon her search, she heard a slight noise at the door, and, looking up, was startled to find john looking into the room.
"what are you prying into my actions for?" she demanded, sharply, a little embarrassed at being caught thus employed, and especially by john.
"i am not," said john.
"why are you here, then?"
"by accident entirely; i was passing through the entry, and, seeing a light in here, i just glanced in."
"i wanted to find a receipt," said mrs. oakley,[91] thinking it best to offer some plausible explanation. "a bill was presented me for payment that i think has already been paid."
"can i assist you?"
"no," said mrs. oakley, coldly. "i shall probably find it soon."
john was not deceived by this explanation. he felt sure that mrs. oakley was searching for the will; but this he kept to himself.
"i must get rid of him at once," said his stepmother. "once get him out of the house, and i'll explore it thoroughly. i shan't feel safe till the will is found."
