He held in his hand a sheet of blue paper, scrawled over with notes and figures.
"I have seen the will of the deceased wife," said he.

"To determine its exact meaning I have been obliged to work out the present prices of the investments with which it is concerned.

The total income, which at the time of the wife's death was little short of 1100 pounds, is now, through the fall in agricultural prices, not more than 750 pounds.

Each daughter can claim an income of 250 pounds, in case of marriage.

It is evident, therefore, that if both girls had married, this beauty would have had a mere pittance, while even one of them would cripple him to a very serious extent.