第76章 A FEW CRUSTED CHARACTERS(21)

'The agent had promised to call on old Sargent for this purpose at five o'clock,and Netty put the money into her desk to have it close at hand.While doing this she heard a slight cry from her uncle,and turning round,saw that he had fallen forward in his chair.She went and lifted him,but he was unconscious;and unconscious he remained.

Neither medicine nor stimulants would bring him to himself.She had been told that he might possibly go off in that way,and it seemed as if the end had come.Before she had started for a doctor his face and extremities grew quite cold and white,and she saw that help would be useless.He was stone-dead.

'Netty's situation rose upon her distracted mind in all its seriousness.The house,garden,and field were lost--by a few hours--and with them a home for herself and her lover.She would not think so meanly of Jasper as to suppose that he would adhere to the resolution declared in a moment of impatience;but she trembled,nevertheless.Why could not her uncle have lived a couple of hours longer,since he had lived so long?It was now past three o'clock;at five the agent was to call,and,if all had gone well,by ten minutes past five the house and holding would have been securely hers for her own and Jasper's lives,these being two of the three proposed to be added by paying the fine.How that wretched old Squire would rejoice at getting the little tenancy into his hands!He did not really require it,but constitutionally hated these tiny copyholds and leaseholds and freeholds,which made islands of independence in the fair,smooth ocean of his estates.

'Then an idea struck into the head of Netty how to accomplish her object in spite of her uncle's negligence.It was a dull December afternoon:and the first step in her scheme--so the story goes,and I see no reason to doubt it--'

''Tis true as the light,'affirmed Christopher Twink.'I was just passing by.'

'The first step in her scheme was to fasten the outer door,to make sure of not being interrupted.Then she set to work by placing her uncle's small,heavy oak table before the fire;then she went to her uncle's corpse,sitting in the chair as he had died--a stuffed arm-chair,on casters,and rather high in the seat,so it was told me--and wheeled the chair,uncle and all,to the table,placing him with his back toward the window,in the attitude of bending over the said oak table,which I knew as a boy as well as I know any piece of furniture in my own house.On the table she laid the large family Bible open before him,and placed his forefinger on the page;and then she opened his eyelids a bit,and put on him his spectacles,so that from behind he appeared for all the world as if he were reading the Scriptures.Then she unfastened the door and sat down,and when it grew dark she lit a candle,and put it on the table beside her uncle's book.

'Folk may well guess how the time passed with her till the agent came,and how,when his knock sounded upon the door,she nearly started out of her skin--at least that's as it was told me.Netty promptly went to the door.

"I am sorry,sir,"she says,under her breath;"my uncle is not so well to-night,and I'm afraid he can't see you.""H'm!--that's a pretty tale,"says the steward."So I've come all this way about this trumpery little job for nothing!""O no,sir--I hope not,"says Netty."I suppose the business of granting the new deed can be done just the same?""Done?Certainly not.He must pay the renewal money,and sign the parchment in my presence."'She looked dubious."Uncle is so dreadful nervous about law business,"says she,"that,as you know,he's put it off and put it off for years;and now to-day really I've feared it would verily drive him out of his mind.His poor three teeth quite chattered when I said to him that you would be here soon with the parchment writing.

He always was afraid of agents,and folks that come for rent,and such-like.""Poor old fellow--I'm sorry for him.Well,the thing can't be done unless I see him and witness his signature.""Suppose,sir,that you see him sign,and he don't see you looking at him?I'd soothe his nerves by saying you weren't strict about the form of witnessing,and didn't wish to come in.So that it was done in your bare presence it would be sufficient,would it not?As he's such an old,shrinking,shivering man,it would be a great considerateness on your part if that would do?""In my bare presence would do,of course--that's all I come for.

But how can I be a witness without his seeing me?""Why,in this way,sir;if you'll oblige me by just stepping here."She conducted him a few yards to the left,till they were opposite the parlour window.The blind had been left up purposely,and the candle-light shone out upon the garden bushes.Within the agent could see,at the other end of the room,the back and side of the old man's head,and his shoulders and arm,sitting with the book and candle before him,and his spectacles on his nose,as she had placed him.

"He's reading his Bible,as you see,sir,"she says,quite in her meekest way.