'Yes; he has left Ashwood to Mr. Price.'

'And when did he make this new will?'

'I think it is just about a month ago.'

Emily leaned forward, and her great eyes, full of light and sorrow, were
fixed in space, her little pale hands linked, and the great mass of
chestnut hair slipping from the comb. She was, in truth, at that moment the
subject of a striking picture, and she was even more impressive when she
said, speaking slowly: 'Then that old man was even wickeder than I thought.
Oh, what I have learned in the last three or four weeks! Oh, what
wickedness, what wickedness!... But go on,' she said, looking at Mr.
Grandly; 'tell me all.'

'I suppose there was some very serious reason, but on that point Mr.
Burnett absolutely refused to answer me. He said his reasons were his own,
and that he intended to leave his money to whom he pleased.'

'There was----' Julia stopped short, and looked interrogatively at Emily.

'Go on, Julia, tell him; we have nothing to conceal.'

'Mr. Burnett asked Emily to marry him a short time ago; she, of course,
refused, and ever since he seemed more like----'

'A madman than anything else,' broke in Emily. 'Oh, for the last month we
have led a miserable life! It was a happy release.'