. He exhorted Henry to live
in a somewhat less expensive style, and to cultivate a spirit of
contentment without riches; then he blessed God that he was entering on
a world in which he would hear no more of money, or earthly possession.
He remained in a calm sleep during the greater part of the night, they
thought, but in the morning they found him dead.

The funeral was over, and the time was come in which the old man's will
was to be opened Mrs. Lawson had waited for that moment--she would have
forcibly dragged time onward to that moment--she had execrated the long
hours of night since the old man's death--she had still more
anathematized the slowly passing days, when gazing furtively through a
corner of the blinded window, she saw fine equipages and finely-dressed
ladies passing, and she planned how she would shine when the old man's
wealth would be her own. She drew glorious mental pictures of how she
would burst from behind the shadowing cloud of poverty, and dazzle all
her acquaintances. Her dress, her carriage, her style of living would be
unique in her rank of life for taste and costliness. She would show them
she had got money--money at last--more money than them all.

Now at last she sat and saw the will being opened; she felt that it was
a mere formality, for the old man had no one but them to whom he could
leave his money; she never once doubted but all would be theirs; she had
reasoned, and fancied herself into the firm conviction. Her only fear
was, that the amount might not be so large as she calculated on.

She saw the packet opened. Her eyes dilated, her lips became parched;
her heart and brain burned with a fierce eagerness--money, money! at
last uttered the griping spirit within her.

The will, after beginning in the usual formal style, was as follows:

"I bequeath to my son Henry's wife, Augusta Lawson, a high and noble
gift" (Mrs. Lawson almost sprung from her seat with eagerness), "the
greatest of all legacies, I bequeath to Augusta Lawson--Charity! Augusta
Lawson refused me a few shillings which I wished to bestow on a starving
woman; but now I leave her joint executrix, with my son Henry, in the
distribution of all my money and all my effects, without any
reservation, in charity, to be applied to such charitable purposes as in
this, my last will and testament, I have directed."

Then followed a statement of his effects and money, down to the most
minute particular; the money amounted to a ve