"
"We have in Spain what we call mysterious wills, the contents of
which may be kept secret. A will of that kind is valid if an
official person and seven witnesses vouch for it by their signatures
on the envelope that it has been written or altered in their
presence. To-day I have added something to my secret will."
He made a movement, but she would not give him time to speak.
"Do not be afraid, I have not acted against your wishes nor wounded
your pride. On our Vega de Henares in Old Castile, we have a family
tomb where my ancestors have been laid to rest since the sixteenth
century. It is the Renaissance mausoleum of the picture hanging in
your room. The marble tomb stands in the middle of an oak wood, not
far from a little brook, and it is cool and still there. I shall lie
there some day, wherever I may die, and I have assigned you a place
beside me. Promise me, Wilhelm, that you will accept it. Promise me
that you, in your turn, will make the necessary arrangements for
your remains to be brought at last to our vega. I do not know if I
may ever belong to you as your wife in my lifetime, but in death I
want to have you forever at my side. Grant me this consolation. Give
me your hand upon it."
Great tears welled slowly into the hazel eyes, and it was plainly of
such sacred and earnest import to her that Wilhelm had not the heart
to smile at her strained and sentimental idea.
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