The Lady of the Shroud By Bram Stoker pdf download

The Lady of the Shroud By Bram Stoker pdf download

Book: The Lady of the Shroud

Author: Bram Stoker

Release Date: October 15, 2007

Language: English.

Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)

(✍️ This article is collected from this book 📚 (All Credit To Go Real Hero The Author of this book 📖) 🙏 Please buy this book hardcopy  anyway.)

📚In This Book___________________________

When I had finished writing I looked over at Rupert.

When he saw us, he jumped up and went over to father and shook his hand quite

warmly. Father took him very coolly. Rupert, however, did not seem to see it,

but came towards me heartily. I happened to be doing something else at the

moment, and at first I did not see his hand; but just as I was looking at it the

clock struck eleven. Whilst it was striking 

Mr. Trent came into the room. Close

behind him came his clerk, carrying a locked tin box. There were two other men

also. He bowed to us all in turn, beginning with me. I was standing opposite the

door; the others were scattered about. Father sat still, but Sir Colin and Mr. St.

Leger rose. Mr. Trent not did shake hands with any of us—not even me.

Nothing but his respectful bow. That is the etiquette for an attorney, I

understand, on such formal occasions.

He sat down at the end of the big table in the centre of the room, and asked us to

sit round. Father, of course, as Head of the Family, took the seat at his right

hand. Sir Colin and St. Leger went to the other side, the former taking the seat

next to the attorney. The General knows, of course, that a Baronet takes

precedence at a ceremony. I may be a Baronet some day myself, and have to

know these things.

The clerk took the key which his master handed to him, opened the tin box, and

took from it a bundle of papers tied with red tape. This he placed before the

attorney, and put the empty box behind him on the floor. Then he and the other

man sat at the far end of the table; the latter took out a big notebook and several

pencils, and put them before him. He was evidently a shorthand-writer. Mr.

Trent removed the tape from the bundle of papers, which he placed a little

distance in front of him. He took a sealed envelope from the top, broke the seal,

opened the envelope, and from it took a parchment, in the folds of which were

some sealed envelopes, which he laid in a heap in front of the other paper. Then

he unfolded the parchment, and laid it before him with the outside page up. He

fixed his glasses, and said:

“Gentlemen, the sealed envelope which you have seen me open is endorsed ‘My

Last Will and Testament—ROGER MELTON, June, 1906.’ This document”—

holding it up—“is as follows:

“‘I Roger Melton of Openshaw Grange in the County of Dorset; of number

one hundred and twenty-three Berkeley Square London; and of the Castle

of Vissarion in the Land of the Blue Mountains, being of sound mind do

make this my Last Will and Testament on this day Monday the eleventh day

of the month of June in the year of Our Lord one thousand nine hundred

and six at the office of my old friend and Attorney Edward Bingham Trent

in number one hundred and seventy-six Lincoln’s Inn Fields London hereby

revoking all other wills that I may have formerly made and giving this as

my sole and last Will making dispositions of my property as follows:

“‘1. To my kinsman and nephew Ernest Halbard Melton Esquire, justice of

the Peace, Humcroft the County of Salop, for his sole use and benefit the

sum of twenty thousand pounds sterling free of all Duties Taxes and

charges whatever to be paid out of my Five per centum Bonds of the City of

Montreal, Canada.

“‘2. To my respected friend and colleague as co-trustee to the Will of my

late sister Patience late widow of the late Captain Rupert Sent Leger who

predeceased her, Major-General Sir Colin Alexander MacKelpie, Baronet,

holder of the Victoria Cross, Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath,

of Croom in the county of Ross Scotland a sum of Twenty thousand pounds

sterling free of all Taxes and charges whatsoever; to be paid out of my Five

per centum Bonds of the City of Toronto, Canada.

“‘3. To Miss Janet MacKelpie presently residing at Croom in the County of

Ross Scotland the sum of Twenty thousand pounds sterling free of all

Duties Taxes and Charges whatsoever, to be paid out of my Five per centum

Bonds of the London County Council.

“‘4. To the various persons charities and Trustees named in the schedule

attached to this Will and marked A. the various sums mentioned therein, all

free of Duties and Taxes and charges whatsoever.’”

Here Mr. Trent read out the list here following, and announced for our

immediate understanding of the situation the total amount as two hundred and

fifty thousand pounds. Many of the beneficiaries were old friends, comrades,

dependents, and servants, some of them being left quite large sums of money and

specific objects, such as curios and pictures.

“‘5. To my kinsman and nephew Ernest Roger Halbard Melton presently

living in the house of his father at Humcroft Salop the sum of Ten thousand

pounds sterling.

“‘6. To my old and valued friend Edward Bingham Trent of one hundred

and seventy-six Lincoln’s Inn Fields sum of Twenty thousand pounds

sterling free from all Duties Taxes and Charges whatsoever to be paid out of

my Five per centum Bonds of the city of Manchester England.

“‘7. To my dear nephew Rupert Sent Leger only son of my dear sister

Patience Melton by her marriage with Captain Rupert Sent Leger the sum

of one thousand pounds sterling. I also bequeath to the said Rupert Sent

Leger a further sum conditional upon his acceptance of the terms of a letter

addressed to him marked B, and left in the custody of the above Edward

Bingham Trent and which letter is an integral part of this my Will. In case

of the non-acceptance of the conditions of such letter, I devise and bequeath

the whole of the sums and properties reserved therein to the executors

herein appointed Colin Alexander MacKelpie and Edward Bingham Trent

in trust to distribute the same in accordance with the terms of the letter in

the present custody of Edward Bingham Trent marked C, and now

deposited sealed with my seal in the sealed envelope containing my last

Will to be kept in the custody of the said Edward Bingham Trent and which

said letter C is also an integral part of my Will. And in case any doubt

should arise as to my ultimate intention as to the disposal of my property

the above-mentioned Executors are to have full power to arrange and

dispose all such matters as may seem best to them without further appeal.

And if any beneficiary under this Will shall challenge the same or any part

of it, or dispute the validity thereof, he shall forfeit to the general estate the

bequest made herein to him, and any such bequest shall cease and be void

to all intents and purposes whatsoever.

“‘8. For proper compliance with laws and duties connected with

testamentary proceedings and to keep my secret trusts secret I direct my

Executors to pay all Death, Estate, Settlement, Legacy, Succession, or other

duties charges impositions and assessments whatever on the residue of my

estate beyond the bequests already named, at the scale charged in the case

of most distant relatives or strangers in blood.

“‘9. I hereby appoint as my Executors Major-General Sir Colin Alexander

MacKelpie, Baronet, of Croom in the County of Ross, and Edward

Bingham Trent Attorney at Law of one hundred and seventy-six Lincoln’s

Inn Fields London West Central with full power to exercise their discretion

in any circumstance which may arise in the carrying out my wishes as

expressed in this Will. As reward for their services in this capacity as

Executors they are to receive each out of the general estate a sum of one

hundred thousand pounds sterling free of all Duties and impositions

whatsoever.

“12. The two Memoranda contained in the letters marked B and C are

Integral Parts of this my Last Will are ultimately at the Probate of the Will

to be taken as Clauses 10 and 11 of it. The envelopes are marked B and C

on both envelope and contents and the contents of each is headed thus: B to

be read as Clause 10 of my Will and the other C to be read as Clause 11 of

my Will.

“13. Should either of the above-mentioned Executors die before the

completion of the above year and a half from the date of the Reading of my

Will or before the Conditions rehearsed in Letter C the remaining Executor

shall have all and several the Rights and Duties entrusted by my Will to

both. And if both Executors should die then the matter of interpretation and

execution of all matters in connection with this my Last Will shall rest with

the Lord Chancellor of England for the time being or with whomsoever he

may appoint for the purpose.

“‘This my Last Will is given by me on the first day of January in the year of

Our Lord one thousand nine hundred and seven.

“‘ROGER MELTON.

Adrift off the coast of the fictional Blue Mountains is a small coffin containing a white-shrouded woman. She rises, soaking wet, from the sea, and seeks refuge in the Castle of Vissarion in the middle of the night. The rich young Rupert Leger lets the mysterious beauty in, but who is she?

Book Excerpt____________________________

the time-- and suddenly smiled and said, as he sat down again:

"Sorry. But, of course, you don't understand such things." Then he went on talking before father had time to say a word.

"Let us get back to business. As you do not seem to follow me, let me explain that it is BECAUSE I do not forget that I wish to do this. I remember my dear mother's wish to make Aunt Janet happy, and would like to do as she did."

"AUNT Janet?" said father, very properly sneering at his ignorance. "She is not your aunt. Why, even her sister, who was married to your uncle, was only your aunt by courtesy." I could not help feeling that Rupert meant to be rude to my father, though his words were quite polite. If I had been as much bigger than him as he was than me, I should have flown at him; but he was a very big boy for his age. I am myself rather thin. Mother says thinness is an "appanage of birth."

"My Aunt Janet, sir, is an aunt by love. Courtesy is a small word to use in connection with such devoti.