Mr. Faxon and Emily had a long consultation upon the embarrassing
position of her who had so lately been the envied heiress. The murder of
the mulatto, the conduct of Jaspar, and some other circumstances,
afforded ground to believe that the will was a forgery. If such was the
fact, the minister was compelled to acknowledge that it was a deep-laid
plot. Everything seemed to aid the conspirators; for he was satisfied,
both from the wording and the chirography of the will, that Jaspar,
whatever part he played, was assisted by others. There was not the
slightest clue by which the mystery could be unravelled. If there was
hope that the will was a forgery, there was no immediate prospect of
proving it such.
Under these circumstances, Mr. Faxon felt compelled to advise obedience
to the instructions of the will. The journey to the North could do no
harm, and was, perhaps, advisable, under the state of feeling which
would follow the publicity of the will. Emily, painful as it was to
leave the home of her childhood at such a time, acquiesced in the
decision of her clerical friend.
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