They would all, except
Theobald, I believe have cut me downright if they had not believed me to
know something they wanted to know themselves, and might have some chance
of learning from me--for it was plain I had been in some way concerned
with the making of their sister's will. None of them suspected what the
ostensible nature of this would be, but I think they feared Miss Pontifex
was about to leave money for public uses. John said to me in his
blandest manner that he fancied he remembered to have heard his sister
say that she thought of leaving money to found a college for the relief
of dramatic authors in distress; to this I made no rejoinder, and I have
no doubt his suspicions were deepened.
When the end came, I got Miss Pontifex's solicitor to write and tell her
brothers and sisters how she had left her money: they were not
unnaturally furious, and went each to his or her separate home without
attending the funeral, and without paying any attention to myself. This
was perhaps the kindest thing they could have done by me, for their
behaviour made me so angry that I became almost reconciled to Alethea's
will out of pleasure at the anger it had aroused.
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