Forty-eight hours later Godfrey attended her funeral, to which thePasteur Boiset was also bidden, and after it was over they were bothsummoned to the office of a notary where her will was read. She was arich woman, who left behind her property to the value of quiteL100,000, most of it in England. Indeed, this Swiss notary was onlyconcerned with her possessions in Lucerne, namely the Villa Ogilvy, itsgrounds and furniture, and certain moneys that she had in localsecurities or at the bank. The house, its appurtenances and contents,were left absolutely to Godfrey, the Pasteur Boiset being appointedtrustee of the property until the heir came of age, with a legacy ofL200, and an annual allowance of L100 for his trouble.
Moreover, with tender care, except for certain bequests to servants,the testatrix devoted all her Swiss moneys to be applied to the upkeepof the place, with the proviso that if it were sold these capital sumsshould revert to her other heirs in certain proportions. The total ofsuch moneys as would pass with the property, was estimated by thenotary to amount to about L4,000 sterling, after the payment of allState charges and legal expenses. The value of the property itself,with the fine old French furniture and pictures which it contained, wasalso considerable, but unascertained. For the rest it would appear thatGodfrey inherited about L12,000 in England, together with a possiblefurther sum of which the amount was not known, as residuary legatee.This bequest was vested in the English trustees of the testatrix whowere instructed to apply the interest for his benefit until he reachedthe age of twenty-five, after which the capital was to be handed overto him absolutely.
Godfrey, whose knowledge of the French tongue was still limited, andwho was overcome with grief moreover after the sad scene through whichhe had just passed, listened to all these details with bewilderment. Hewas not even elated when the grave notary shook his hand andcongratulated him with the respect that is accorded to an heir, at thesame time expressing a hope that he would be allowed to remain hislegal representative in Switzerland. Indeed, the lad only mutteredsomething and slipped away behind the servants whose sorrow wasdistracted by the exercise of mental arithmetic as to the amount oftheir legacies.
After his first stupefaction, however, the Pasteur could not concealhis innocent joy. A legacy of L200, a trusteeship "of the mostimportant," as he called it, and an allowance of L100 for years tocome, were to him wonderful wealth and honour.
"Truly, dear young friend," he said to Godfrey, as they left theoffice, "it was a fortunate hour for me, and for you also, when youentered my humble house. Now I am not only your instructor, but theguardian of your magnificent Lucerne property. I assure you that I willcare for it well. To-morrow I will interview those domestics anddismiss at least half of them, for there are far too many."