the Barton, Jasper? 'Ave 'a
willed et to 'ee?"

At this my heart became heavy. Up to now no rent had been charged, and I
hoped that my grandfather would make it over to me. My uncles, I knew,
did not like me.

"Old Mester Quethiock es dead, es dead, es dead," said Eli, in his
funny, grunting kind of voice.

"How do 'ee knaw, Eli?" asked his mother.

"I knaw, I knaw," grunted Eli, and then he laughed in his funny way, but
he would tell nothing more.

"What ought I to do?" I asked, for I felt a great fear come into my
heart, although my father had told me that my Grandfather Quethiock
meant to give me the Barton.

"Go and zee, go and zee," said Betsey.

So I went back home and saddled my mare and rode to Falmouth. When I got
into Falmouth town I saw an ironmonger whom I knew, and he looked as
though he would speak, so I stopped my horse.

"Well, and so yer poor gran'father is gone," he said.

"Is he?" I replied; "I did not know till now."

"Iss, he's gone, and a good man he wos, too. His two sons, yer uncles,
'ave been waitin' a long time to git into his shoes. Ah, there'll be a
change now! Th' ould man was the soul of generosity; but the sons, Peter
and Paul, nobody'll be able to rob one to pay the other of they two. But
I 'ear as 'ow you'm safe, Maaster Jasper. The Barton es yours, I'm
told."

This cheered me, so I rode on toward my grandfather's house. Just
before I got there I saw my two uncles coming down the street, and with
them was Richard Tresidder. I checked my horse and watched them, and saw
that they entered a lawyer's office, and the lawyer who owned it was the
son of the man who was present when Lawyer Trefry drew up my
grandfather's will.

I got to know nothing by going to my grandfather's house, save to find
out the day of the funeral, which was fixed for three days later, and
which I attended. After the funeral was over the will was read, and the
lawyer who read it was Nicholas Tresidder, a bachelor after whom young
Nick was called.

Now, I do not pretend to be a learned man, but I do love honesty, and I
do say that the will was drawn up to defraud me. Neither do I believe
that my grandfather ever intended the words written down, to read as the
lawyer said they read, for he had told my father that Elmwater Barton
was to be left to me. According to Lawyer Tresidder, however, the whole
of my grandfather's property was left to his two sons, Peter and Paul
Quethiock, and it was left to their