Mr Apjohn's eye had caught the author's name on the back of the book, and he remembered at once that he had seen the volume,--a volume with Jeremy Taylor's name on the back of it,--lying on the old man's table. "Jeremy Taylor's Works. Sermons." He remembered the volume. That had been a long time ago,--six months ago; but the old man might probably take a long time over so heavy a book. "You will let me look at some of these," he said, pointing with his thumb over his back.
"You shall not touch a book without a regular order," said Cousin Henry.
Mr Apjohn fixed the man's eye for a moment. He was the smaller man of the two, and much the elder; but he was wiry, well set, and strong. The other was soft, and unused to much bodily exercise. There could be no doubt as to which would have the best of it in a personal struggle. Very quickly he turned round and got his hand on one of the set, but not on the right one. Cousin Henry dashed at him, and in the struggle the book fell to the ground. Then the attorney seized him by the throat, and dragged him forcibly back to the table. "Take them all out one by one, and shake them," he said to the other attorney,--"that set like the one on the floor. I'll hold him while you do it."
Mr Brodrick did as he was told, and, one by one, beginning from the last volume, he shook them all till he came to volume 4. Out of that fell the document.
"Is it the will?" shouted Mr Apjohn, with hardly breath enough to utter the words.
Mr Brodrick, with a lawyer's cautious hands, undid the folds, and examined the document. "It certainly is a will," he said,--"and is signed by my brother-in-law."
It was a moment of great triumph and of utter dismay,--of triumph to Mr Apjohn, and of dismay to Cousin Henry. The two men at this moment,--as Mr Brodrick was looking at the papers,--were struggling together upon the ground. Cousin Henry, in his last frantic efforts, had striven to escape from the grasp of his enemy so as to seize the will, not remembering that by seizing it now he could retrieve nothing. Mr Apjohn had been equally determined that ample time should be allowed to Mr Brodrick to secure any document that might be found, and, with the pugnacity which the state of fighting always produces, had held on to his prey with a firm grip. Now for the one man there remained nothing but dismay; for the other was the full enjoyment of the triumph produced by his own sagacity. "Here is the date," said Mr Brodrick, who had retreated with the paper to the furthest corner of the room. "It is undoubtedly my brother-in-law's last will and testament, and, as far as I can see at a glance, it is altogether regular."