I could see that
he had been touched to receive kindness from utter strangers. He was
amused in a sardonic way that you had thought him a poor man and had
yet been kind to him; he had an unhappy notion that in this world
kindness is always bought.... He had no heir, and I think I explained to
you in my letter that he had made up his mind to leave his whole fortune
to the first person who did anything for him without expecting payment.
You turned out to be that person, and I congratulate you, Miss Jardine,
most heartily. I would like to tell you that Mr. Reid planned everything
so that it would be as easy as possible for you, and asked me to come
and see you and explain in person. He seemed very satisfied when all was
in order. I saw him a few days before he died and I thought he looked
better, and told him so. But he only said, 'It's a great load off my
mind to get everything settled, and it's a blessing not to have an heir
longing to step into my shoes, and grudging me a few years longer on the
earth.' Two days later he passed away in his sleep. He was a curious,
hard man, whom few cared about, but at the end there was something
simple and rather pathetic about him. I think he died content."

"Thank you for telling me about him," Jean said, and there was silence
for a minute.

"And now may I hear your wishes?" said Mr. Dickson.

"Can I do just as I like with the money? Well, will you please divide it
into four parts? That will be a quarter for each of us--David, Jock,
Mhor, me."

Jean spoke as if the fortune was a lump of dough and Mr. Dickson the
baker, but the lawyer did not smile.

"I understood you had only two brothers?"

"Yes, David and Jock, but Mhor is an adopted brother. His name's Gervase
Taunton."

"But--has he any claim on you?"

Jean's face got pink. "I should think he has. He's _exactly_ like our
own brother."

"Then you want him to have a full share?"

"Of course. It's odd how people will assume one is a cad! When Mhor's
mother died (his father had died before) he came to us--his mother
_trusted him_ to us--and people kept saying, 'Why should you take him?
He has no claim on you.' As if Mhor wasn't the best gift we ever got....
And when you have divided it, I wonder if you would take a tenth off
each share? We were brought up to give a tenth of any money we had to
God. I'm almost sure the boys would give it themselves. I _think_ they
would, but perhaps it would be safer to take it off first