登陆注册
4711400000132

第132章

"But how could he get any proof whatever, on this occasion?" said Mrs. Stanley. "For these eighteen years, nearly, William Stanley has been lying at the bottom of the ocean. We have believed so, at least."

"Proofs have been manufactured by lawyers before now," said Mr. Wyllys. "Do you suppose that if William Stanley had been living, we never should have heard one trace of him during eighteen years?--at a time, too, when his father's death had left him a large property."

"What sort of a man is this Mr. Clapp?" asked Mrs. Stanley. "His manners and appearance, whenever I have accidentally seen him with the Hubbards, struck me as very unpleasant: but is it possible he can be so utterly devoid of all principle, as wilfully to countenance an impostor?"

"He is a man whom I do not believe to possess one just principle!" said Mr. Wyllys. "Within the last year or two, I have lost all confidence in his honesty, from facts known to me."

"I have always had a poor opinion of him, but I have never had much to do with him," said Harry; "still, I should not have thought him capable of entering into a conspiracy so atrocious as this must be, if the story be not true."

"He would do any dirty work whatever, for money. I KNOW the man," said Mr. Wyllys, with emphasis.

"It is possible he may be deceived himself," observed Mrs. Stanley.

"Very improbable," replied Mr. Wyllys, shaking his head.

"A shrewd, cunning, quick-witted fellow, as I remember him, would not be likely to undertake such a case, unless he had some prospect of success," said Harry, pacing the room again. "He must know perfectly well that it is make or break with him. If he does not succeed, he will be utterly ruined."

"He will give us trouble, no doubt," said Mr. Wyllys. "He must have got the means of putting together a plausible story. And yet his audacity confounds me!"

"Eighteen years, is it not, since William Stanley's death?" asked Harry, turning to Mrs. Stanley.

"It will be eighteen years next October, since he sailed. I was married in November; and from that time we have never heard anything from the poor boy, excepting the report that the Jefferson, the ship in which he sailed, had been shipwrecked on the coast of Africa, the following winter, and all hands lost.

That report reached us not long before my husband's death, and caused him to word his will in the way it is now expressed; giving to the son of his kinsman and old friend, half his property, in case his son's death should be confirmed. The report WAS confirmed, some months later, by the arrival of an American vessel, which had ridden out the storm that wrecked the Jefferson: she saw the wreck itself, sent a boat to examine it, but could find no one living; although several bodies were picked up, with the hope of reviving them. But you have heard the whole sad story before, Harry."

"Certainly; I merely wished to hear the facts again, ma'am, from your own lips, lest I might have forgotten some important point."

"Although you were quite a child at the time, Harry," said Mr. Wyllys, "eight or ten I believe, still, I should think you must remember the anxiety to discover the real fate of William Stanley. I have numbers of letters in my hands, answers to those I had written with the hope of learning something more positive on the subject. We sent several agents, at different times, to the principal sea-ports, to make inquiries among the sailors; it all resulted in confirming the first story, the loss of the Jefferson, and all on board. Every year, of course, made the point more certain."

"Still, we cannot say that is not impossible {sic} he should have escaped," observed Harry.

"Why should he have waited eighteen years, before he appeared to claim his property?--and why should he not come directly to his father's executors, instead of seeking out such a fellow as Clapp? It bears on the very face every appearance of a gross imposture. Surely, Harry, you do not think there is a shade of probability as to the truth of this story?"

"Only a possibility, sir; almost everything is against it, and yet I shall not rest satisfied without going to the bottom of the matter."

"That, you may be sure, we shall be forced to do. Clapp will give us trouble enough, I warrant; he will leave no stone unturned that a dirty lawyer can move. It will be vexatious, but there cannot be a doubt as to the result."

"You encourage me," said Mrs. Stanley; "and yet the idea of entering into a suit of this kind is very painful!"

"If it be a conspiracy, there is no treatment too bad for those who have put the plot together!" exclaimed Harry. "What a double-dyed villain Clapp must be!"

"He will end his career in the State-Prison," said Mr. Wyllys.

"The Hubbards, too; that is another disagreeable part of the business," said Harry.

"I am truly sorry for them," replied Mr. Wyllys. "It will give them great pain."

"What steps shall we first take, sir?" inquired Harry.

"We must look into the matter immediately, of course, and find out upon what grounds they are at work."

"I am utterly at a loss to comprehend it!" exclaimed Mrs. Stanley. "Such a piece of bare-faced audacity!"

"Clapp must rest all his hope of success on our want of positive proof as to the death of William Stanley," observed Harry. "But his having dared to bring forward an individual to personate the dead man, is really a height of impudence that I should never have conceived of."

"If I did not know him to be an incarnation of cunning, I should think he had lost his senses," replied Mr. Wyllys; "but happily for honest men, rogues generally overreach themselves; after they have spread their nets, made the mesh as intricate as possible, they almost invariably fall into their own snare. Such will, undoubtedly, be the result in this case."

"Had you not better return to Longbridge at once," said Mrs. Stanley, "in order to inquire into the matter?"

同类推荐
  • 韩氏医通

    韩氏医通

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 绝命辞

    绝命辞

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 乐府指迷

    乐府指迷

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 锦江禅灯

    锦江禅灯

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 庶斋老学丛谈

    庶斋老学丛谈

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 叶少独宠前女友

    叶少独宠前女友

    曾经辉煌的圣曼帝都企业瞬间坍塌,一夜之间失去所有的叶少绫,背负着女友柯玖玖的背叛,从零开始。四年后,重新站上行业之巅的叶少绫,却在夺回“夜神的微笑”的拍卖会上偶遇了柯玖玖。曾经的背叛,如同心上的一根拔也拔不掉却会不断引起疼痛的毒刺。为了报仇,他不断接近她、试探她,却又一次次迷失在自己的心里……明明那么相爱,明明那么想靠近,可是迷雾一直萦绕在两人中间。去世爸爸的信件突然出现,一切谜题水落石出,那么沉重的“背叛”背后,居然是如此深沉的爱。真相大白后,伤痕累累的柯玖玖选择了逃避。霸道总裁叶少绫马上开启“狗皮膏药”模式——曾经错过的真爱,怎么可能再次放走呢?
  • 我飞了

    我飞了

    熟悉的跑道,神奇的感觉!男生单明明忽然飘然而起。我的天哪!他在心里大叫,我飞起来了!把跑道打开吧,我飞了!
  • 网游之元星大陆

    网游之元星大陆

    华历2150年,一款全新的虚拟现实游戏《元星大陆》突然降临,而主角郭云卿的人生也在此刻发生了改变,让我们一起来看郭云卿在游戏中怎么引领风骚,走上人生巅峰,迎娶白富美
  • 宝宝他爹是个渣

    宝宝他爹是个渣

    【宝宝篇】小皇爷出生前,渣爷摸着灿灿的大肚子:“爷猜一定是个男宝宝,和爷一样厉害!”灿灿满脸黑线,拍开肚肚上的渣手瞪眼:“去屎!肯定是个和她妈妈一样漂亮的女宝宝才对!”小皇爷出生后,节操无下限的渣爷喜滋滋地抱着小皇爷:“宝宝真听爹的话”灿灿妞一口鲜血喷出,将小皇爷抢过泪眼婆娑:“宝宝啊,你可千万不能像你娘这样没眼光,这一点确实得跟你爹这个败类一样!”小皇爷五岁了,某天见麻麻坐一个很绅士的明星叔叔的车子回家,于是跑到粑粑书房里:“粑粑,一个好有钱的叔叔送麻麻回家了。”他粑粑头也不抬:“没事,让他送,正好帮粑粑省了油费还不用请司机。”粑粑好聪明!小皇爷超级崇拜地看着粑粑:“可是那个叔叔还刚刚还亲了麻麻喔。”粑粑顿时脸色大变,猛地拍桌:“去告诉那个女人,爷忍她很久了!”啊啊!粑粑威武!小皇爷心里发四,长大定要像粑粑一样,帅到掉渣!
  • 鬼瞳神女

    鬼瞳神女

    她有一双巧夺天工的手,当她的手握上刻刀,世界便成了她手下的缩影。只要是存在于世间的东西,无论你想要什么,她都能帮你雕刻出来。【情节虚构,请勿模仿】
  • 犀利贼宝:邪魅爹地呆萌娘亲

    犀利贼宝:邪魅爹地呆萌娘亲

    作为上古的一只魅萌九尾狐妖,她觉得,把儿子看好自己修炼好就行了,其他的——略过!于是,当神秘男人出现时,儿子撅着屁股跑来问,“娘亲,他说是我爹,你怎么看?”某人媚眼一抛,无辜开口,“这还不简单?你不会打雷闪电吗?电死他!”于是乎,萌娃挂着肥脸挤着小眼一转身,四周青雷滚滚,电闪雷鸣,眨眼间一爆炸头型的面瘫男立现,顿时怒吼:“臭小子,想造反啊?我可是你爹!”某宝挑眉,幽幽道:“我娘说了,三条腿的蛤蟆不好找,两条腿的男人多得是!要找也要找个色香味俱全的!你都烧焦了,不能要!”
  • 卵巢健康书

    卵巢健康书

    卵巢是女人的根本!卵巢控制着女人的容颜、身材、气质、月经、怀孕、产后恢复、更年期,卵巢好,女人才好。养好卵巢,女人不老。研究证明,女性卵巢在30岁就开始慢慢衰老了。卵巢衰老的女人,脸色蜡黄,皱纹、色斑频生,身材臃肿,比同龄人显老10岁。月经不调、腰酸背痛、脾胃虚弱、失眠多梦、情绪糟糕等问题挥之不去。本书作者杨保军是北京天坛医院卵巢诊治专家,她通过多年临床案例故事,亲自传授饮食、瑜伽以及各种日常生活小妙方等卵巢保养方案,让女人达到美白、嫩肤、去痘、除皱、丰胸、增高等养颜效果,增加女人味,同时,赶走卵巢卵巢疾病,让女人月经调顺,怀孕容易,产后迅速恢复容颜身材,预防更年期提前,做一个快乐的俏女人。
  • 混沌至尊

    混沌至尊

    莫名的穿越异世,俯身废材身上。美女呢?功法呢?奇人异事呢?统统都没有,身为废材又偏偏得到绝世功法,看着心花怒放,却让人各种纠结。不在纠结中爆发,就在纠结中灭亡?你是绝世妖孽,你有大运在身如何?怎敌我一颗赤裸裸的至尊无敌之心。看你如何嚣张的起来!
  • 以情深换余生

    以情深换余生

    爱到最后,林蕊才看清楚对于蒋御驰来说,她不止是替身而已还是一个报仇的工具!
  • 刘强东崛起的智慧

    刘强东崛起的智慧

    《刘强东崛起的智慧:强者必有强势的事业》将为读者还原一个完整的刘强东。这里不仅有他曾经所经历的惊心动魄的故事,有他不同于常人的商业信念和从业策略,更重要的是全面披露了他取得强势事业成功的内在秘诀。