Lucius Davoren, Volume III by Mary Elizabeth Braddon

Lucius saw Mr. Pullman next day, and told him of the impression Lucille had made on her great-aunt.

‘Upon my word, sir, she's a very lucky young woman,' said the lawyer; ‘for Miss Glenlyne has a snug little fortune to dispose of, and has not a near relative to leave it to; for the Spalding Glenlynes are only third or fourth cousins, and she detests them. Now, Mr. Davoren, do you mean to put forward Miss Lucille Glenlyne's claim to the estate now in the possession of Mr. Spalding Glenlyne?'

‘That will depend on various circumstances, Mr. Pullman,' answered Lucius. ‘First and foremost, you think the case a weak one.'

‘Lamentably weak. You are able to prove the marriage; -granted. You may be able to prove the birth of a child; but how are you to identify the young lady you put forward with the child born at Sidmouth? How are you to supply the link which will unite the two ends of the chain?'

‘Miss Glenlyne has acknowledged her niece.'

‘Yes; but let Miss Glenlyne come forward to bear witness to her niece's identity, and she will be laughed at as a weak old woman-almost an idiot. The only person who could have sworn to the girl's identity was Ferdinand Sivewright. He is dead, and you did not even take his deposition to the facts within his knowledge. Even had you done so, such a document might have been useless; the man's notoriously bad character would have vitiated his testimony. Mr. Davoren, I regret to say your case is as weak as it well can be. It is a case which a speculative attorney might take up perhaps, hazarding his not too valuable time and trouble against the remote contingency of success; but no respectable firm would be troubled with such a business, unless you could guarantee their costs at the outset.'

‘I am not greedy for money, Mr. Pullman,' replied Lucius, in no manner crestfallen at this disheartening opinion. ‘Were my case, or rather Lucille's case, the strongest, it would still be doubtful with me how far I should do battle for her interests. She has been acknowledged by her great-aunt as a Glenlyne-that is the chief point in my mind. The name so long lost to her has been restored, and she has found a relative whose kindness may in some measure atone for her father's cruelty. This Mr. Spalding Glenlyne acquired the estate by no wrongdoing of his own. It would be rather hard to oust him from it.'

‘If you had a leg to stand on, sir, I should be the last to let any consideration of Mr. Spalding Glenlyne's feelings restrain us from taking action in this matter.'

‘You don't like Mr. Glenlyne?'

‘Frankly, I detest him.'

‘Is he a bad man?'

‘No, Mr. Davoren; therein lies his most objectionable quality. He is a man who at once enforces respect and provokes detestation.'

‘Paradoxical, rather.'

‘I suppose so; but it is strictly true, nevertheless. Mr. Spalding Glenlyne is a man whom everybody acknowledges to be a useful member of society. He has improved the Glenlyne estate to an almost unprecedented extent. His turnips swell like nobody else's turnips; his mangolds would have been big enough for the stables of Gargantua. One can only comfort oneself with the reflection that those big turnips are often watery. His cattle thrive as no one else's cattle thrive. He is like the wicked man in the Psalms, everything flourishes with him. And when he dies there will be a splendid monument erected in his honour by public subscription. Yes, sir, people who abhorred him living will come down handsomely to pay him posthumous homage.'

‘But a man like that must do some good in his generation,' said Lucius; ‘he distributes money-he employs labour.'

‘Yes, he is no doubt useful. He builds model cottages. His farm labourers are as sleek as his other cattle. Churches and schools spring up upon his estate. He brags and hectors intolerably, but I daresay he does good.'

‘Let him retain his opportunities of usefulness then, Mr. Pullman. Were my case so strong as to make success almost a certainty, I think I would forego all chance of gaining it as willingly as I forego an attempt which you assure me would be futile. Let Mr. Spalding Glenlyne keep the estate which he is so well able to administer for the advantage of himself and other people. I will not seek to banish him and his children from the roof-tree that has sheltered them for ten prosperous years. The Glenlyne property would be but a white elephant for Lucille and me. My heart is in my profession, and I would infinitely rather succeed in that-even though success fell far short of hopes which may be somewhat too high-than grow the biggest turnips that ever sprouted from the soil of Norfolk. My dear girl has been acknowledged by her nearest surviving relation. That is enough for me.'

‘Upon my word, Mr. Davoren, you're a noble fellow,' exclaimed the lawyer, melted by Lucius's earnestness, by tones whose absolute truthfulness even an attorney could not doubt; ‘and I only wish your case were a trifle stronger, for it would give me pleasure to protect your interests. However, the case is weak, and I think your decision is as worldly wise as it is generous in spirit, and I can only say, stick to Miss Glenlyne. She's a very old lady. She began life with seven hundred a year of her own, and has been saving money ever since she was twenty-one.'

‘Neither Lucille nor I belong to the race of toadies,' said Lucius; ‘but I am grateful to Providence for Miss Glenlyne's ready acknowledgment of her niece.'

‘I have very little doubt the old lady will act handsomely towards you both,' replied the lawyer, solacing himself with a comfortable pinch of snuff. He seemed to have taken a wonderful liking to Lucius, and even asked him to dine, an invitation which Lucius was unable to accept.