This alone would have deterred the tutor from a retreat so public:
besides, he saw something which placed him at his ease. Beyond the group
of watchers he espied three people strolling at their leisure, their
backs towards him. His sight was better than Lady Dunborough's; and he
had no difficulty in making out the three to be Julia, her mother, and
the attorney. They were moving towards the Bath road. Freed from the
fear of interruption, he heaved a sigh of relief, and, choosing the most
comfortable chair, sat down on it.
It chanced to stand by the table, and on the table, as has been said,
lay a vast litter of papers. Mr. Thomasson's elbow rested on one. He
went to move it; in the act he read the heading: 'This is the last will
and testament of me Sir Anthony Cornelius Soane, baronet, of Estcombe
Hall, in the county of Wilts.' 'Tut-tut!' said the tutor. 'That is not Soane's will, that is his
grandfather's.' And between idleness and curiosity, not unmingled with
surprise, he read the will to the end. Beside it lay three or four
narrow slips; he examined these, and found them to be extracts from a
register. Apparently some one was trying to claim under the will; but
Mr. Thomasson did not follow the steps or analyse the pedigree--his mind
was engrossed by perplexity on another point. His thoughts might have
been summed up in the lines-'Not that the things themselves are rich or rare,
The wonder's how the devil they got there'-in a word, how came the papers to be in that room? 'These must be
Soane's rooms,' he muttered at last, looking about him. 'And yet--that's
a woman's cloak. And that old cowskin bag is not Sir George's. It is
odd. Ah! What is this?' This was a paper, written and folded brief-wise, and indorsed:
'Statement of the Claimant's case for the worshipful consideration of
the Eight Honourable the Earl of Chatham and others the trustees of the
Estcombe Hall Estate. Without Prejudice.' 'So!' said the tutor. 'This may be intelligible.' And having assured
himself by a furtive glance through the window that the owners of the
room were not returning, he settled himself to peruse it. When he again
looked up, which was at a point about one-third of the way through the
document, his face wore a look of rapt, incredulous, fatuous
astonishment.