"H'm!" said father; "that is so far as you and I are concerned. You
with a beggarly ten thousand, and I with twenty. But what is, or
will be, the effect of those secret trusts?"

"Oh, that," I said, "will, I dare say, be all right. Uncle Roger
evidently did not intend the older generation to benefit too much by
his death. But he only gave Rupert St. Leger one thousand pounds,
whilst he gave me ten. That looks as if he had more regard for the
direct line. Of course--" Father interrupted me:

"But what was the meaning of a further sum?"

"I don't know, father. There was evidently some condition which he
was to fulfil; but he evidently didn't expect that he would. Why,
otherwise, did he leave a second trust to Mr. Trent?"

"True!" said father. Then he went on: "I wonder why he left those
enormous sums to Trent and old MacKelpie. They seem out of all
proportion as executors' fees, unless--"

"Unless what, father?"

"Unless the fortune he has left is an enormous one. That is why I
asked."

"And that," I laughed, "is why he refused to answer."

"Why, Ernest, it must run into big figures."