Women _do_ get the oddest conceits
into their heads, you know, and American women before all others; a
republic being anything but favourable to the continuation of property
in the same line. Miss Merton, who is a girl of excellent sense, as
you well know yourself, Miles, says, now, in England I should have
succeeded, quite as a matter of course, to _all_ Mrs. Bradfort's
real estate."
"You, as a lawyer--a common law lawyer-can scarcely require the
opinion of an Englishwoman to tell you what the English laws would do
in a question of descent."
"Oh! they've a plaguey sight of statutes in that country, as well as
ourselves. Between the two, the common law is getting to be a very
uncommon sort of a law. But, to cut the matter short, Mrs. Bradfort
made a _will_."
"Dividing her property equally between you and Lucy, I dare say, to
Miss Merton's great dissatisfaction."
"Why, not just so, Miles--not exactly so; a very capricious, peculiar
woman was Mrs. Bradfort--"
I have often remarked, when a person has succeeded in throwing dust
into another's eyes, but is discarded on being found out, that the
rejected of principle is very apt to accuse his former dupe of being
_capricious_; when, in fact, he has only been _deceived_. As
I said nothing, however, leaving Rupert to flounder on in the best
manner he could, the latter, after a pause, proceeded--
"But her end was very admirable" he said, "and to the last degree
edifying.
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