CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
THE CLAGNE BIRTHMARK
In the course of his professional experiences, Wedgwood had more than once made a surprising discovery, but he had never previously discovered a missing will. Having some knowledge of legal matters, picked up by observation and enquiry, he hastened to assure himself that the document in his hands had been properly executed. As far as he could see, it seemed to be in order—there was the signature of the testator and there were the signatures of the two necessary witnesses. Certain peculiarities struck him at once. This was a holograph will—written out by Gilson Mortover himself, in an old-fashioned, crabbed handwriting; from the style of their caligraphy the two witnesses were probably labourers on the farm. But it was all done correctly: it could stand, as the saying goes. And Wedgwood had mastered its brief contents in another glance: Gilson Mortover had disposed of his property in one short sentence.
I leave everything of which I die possessed in equal shares to my two sons Matthew Mort-
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