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LEAVES FROM AN ENGLISH SOLICITOR'S NOTE BOOK. IV.
"LATET ANGUIS IN HERBÂ."
A STORY OF INNOCENT PARTICIPATION IN CRIME. Bv BAXTER BORRET.
I WAS sitting in my office in London one morning about the end of the "sixties," two years before I left the Metropolis to set tle down in Georgetown, when I was disturb ed from my work by my clerk announcing to me that a gentleman, who would not give his name, wanted to see me. A tall man of about thirty-five, rather good-looking, but somewhat dissipated in appearance, and close-shaven, came into the room and handed me a card on which was written, not printed, Mr. Neil Angus, 422 Oxford Square, Hyde Park; he said he called on me without a letter of introduction, that my name had been mentioned to him by a firm of stock brokers, who had offices in the same block of buildings, and who, though not knowing me personally, had said they had heard me well spoken of as active, industrious, prompt, and painstaking. I bowed my head in ac knowledgment of this pleasant compliment, and asked in what way he wanted me to serve him. He then told me that his father was a Scotch gentleman, a Colonel Angus, who had rather recently settled in London, after living abroad for many years, and that he had had a sudden paralytic seizure, which his med ical man had warned him was liable to be fol lowed at any time by another, and that he should lose no time in getting his affairs in order; Mr. Neil Angus then explained that his father had never made any will since his wife had died abroad, and that he wanted a short will drawn up at once. I expressed my willingness to undertake the task at once, but said that in such a delicate matter as will-drawing I could only take my instruc tions at first-hand, from the testator him self; but that I was prepared at once to
accompany him to his father's house if want ed; to this he somewhat demurred, feel ing (as he said) that it was undesirable for a stranger to visit a sick man without prepar ation, but he asked me whether I would put other engagements on one side, and call at 422 Oxford Square that evening, at eight o'clock, bringing a clerk with me who could write out the will and then act as one of the witnesses. Before we parted I asked my visitor to give me the small details which I should require to enable me to draw the will, with the view of saving trouble to the testator and shortening my interview with him, such as his full name and his rank in the army, etc.; and I learned from him that Colonel Angus was a widower, that my visitor was the only son, that the only daughter had married a gentleman named Alexander Caryl, who was then living at a small sea port town of Devonshire, and was by pro fession an artist and landscape painter, with whom Colonel Angus was on most affectionate terms; that the daughter had recently died and had left no family. I also was informed by my visitor that Colonel Angus was lifetenant of some Scotch estates of consider able value which were entailed on his son, my visitor, and therefore did not need to be dealt with by the will; and that his only other property was personal estate invested in English securities, and the lease and fur niture of his house in Oxford Square; a very plain, straightforward story. Punctual to my appointment, accompanied by my faithful clerk, George Carter, I knocked at the door of the house in Oxford Square, which was at once opened by my visitor of the morning, who apologized for the absence of any servant by saying that the old
