By Mrs George de Horne Vaizey
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Old Mr Bernard Farrell is known to be immensely rich. No one in his
family has seen him for ages. Suddenly he turns up, and is invited to
stay for a few days, as he isn't very well. His proposition is, that he
would like various of his nephews and nieces to come and stay with him
for quite a long time, so that he might gauge which of them should
receive the greater part of his wealth after he dies.
The house-part duly convenes, and they don't find him a very agreeable
host, but for the most part they persevere. He has made a preliminary
will "in case of accident". He is trying to keep this will secret, and
of course the young people are all agog to know what is in it. One day
he accidentally leaves his desk open, and realises that someone has been
at his desk, and has read the will. He calls all the young people to
his bed, and asks them point-blank who it was. Of course he gets
various kinds of answer, from the offended, to the frightened and cowed.
But by chance he finds out exactly who had peeked into his desk and read
the will. We won't spoil the story for you, but would say this: that
it is as good a Horne Vaizey story as any, even the earlier Pixie books.
NH
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