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"If Jellicoe had been an interested party," said Jervis, "one would have suspected hi low But the form of clause two doesn't affect him at all"

"No," said Thorndyke; "the person who stands to profit by the e Hurst But we understand that he was unacquainted with the terest that he is in any way responsible for it"

"The practical question is," said I, "what is going to happen? and what can be done for the Bellinghams?"

"The probability is," Thorndyke replied, "that the next move will be made by Hurst He is the party immediately interested He will probably apply to the Court for permission to presume death and administer the will"

"And ill the Court do?"

Thorndyke s a very pretty conundrum The decisions of Courts depend on idiosyncrasies of temperament that no one can foresee But one rant perorous inquiry--and a decidedly unpleasant one, I suspect--and the evidence will be reviewed by the judge with a strong predisposition to regard the testator as being still alive On the other hand, the known facts point very distinctly to the probability that he is dead; and, if the ere less complicated and all the interested parties were unaniht not be granted But it will clearly be to the interest of Godfrey to oppose the application, unless he can show that the conditions of clause two have been complied with--which it is virtually certain that he can not; and heJohn to be still alive But even if he is unable to do this, inasmuch as it is pretty clear that he was intended to be the chief beneficiary, his opposition is likely to have considerable weight with the Court"

"Oh, is it?" I exclaierly "Then that accounts for a very peculiar proceeding on the part of Hurst I have stupidly forgotten to tell you about it He has been trying to cohareement?"

"His proposal was this: that Godfrey should support him and Jellicoe in an application to the Court for permission to presume death and to administer the will, and that, if it was successful, Hurst should pay hieood in all eventualities"

"By which he means?"