AN EXPENSIVE ERROR.

Evening Post, Volume XLIII, Issue 61, 12 March 1892, Page 1 (Supplement)

AN EXPENSIVE ERROR.

It is not often that one pays so heavily for oue act of forgetfulness as I have done. One slight mistake, ono for which I was hardly responsible, has cost me over £20,000 and a nice country house in Bedfordshire. The facts of the case are as follows —I had an aunt, by name Julia Reeves, an old maid of sixty, and popsewtor of tho money and house which I have just mentioned. She is dead, and so I will say all I think about hor — "De mortuis nil nisi bouum " is a well kuown saying, but still there is another and a better which I ofton think over— " The evils that men do lives after them." This latter uppließ to women also, and with Aunt Julia this was certainly the case. I was Aunt Julia's favourite nephew; when Iwas only a boy she had a serious dispute with her only other nephew — niy cousin, and much older than I — and she never spoke to him again till the day of her death, consequently I had " great expectations" of being my aunt's heir. My parents shared in this belief, and as a result I Bpont most of my holidays in Bedfordshire — and vory dreary I found thorn. When I grew up my aunt constantly invited me to slay with her, and as her invitations were really commands, I invariably had to go whon I was asked. She certainly expected me to make myself useful to her, and gave me little thanks for my trouble; but thon she more than once gave me cleiirly to understand that I was down ns sole heir in her will, and I know I was, but a certain unfortunate accident happened which caused hor to alter her mmd — and her will. Four years ago, in August, I was staying with her, as I always did four or five times in the year, for long nnd short periods, when the sad affair occurred. My aunt, he it known, was a little eccentric — in fact, I tried to upset her will on the ground of insanity, hut failed. She also had an extreme fear of thunderstorms. "Whonovor a thunderstorm commenced she ran down to her •wine-cellar and crouched in the very darkest corner there till it was all over. Her collar was a regular strong room, with an iron door and patent lock, the key of which she nearly alwayß kept iv her own possession ; she never allowed it to leavo her own hands, except when, as sometimes happened, she gave it tome when she wished me to bottle some wine for her, which frequently took place, as Bhe always bought her wine iv casks, and I being particularly good at this work, it was one of the various ways in which I made myself useful to her. One. day, durvDg the last visit I ever paid Aunt Julia, I had been bottling some wine for her, whon something or other called me away just as I had finished, and I left without locking the door. I was away about ten minutes, during which time a violent thunderstorm, which had been threatening, took it into its head to burst. I stood at the window for a minute or two to look at the lightning, which was particularly vivid, and thon, remembering the collar was unlocked, I went downstairs, locked the door, and put the key in my pocket. I then ran up again hastily to lunch, which 1 took alone and earlier than usual, as I had to go to London on business which would detain me all night. As Aunt Julia's house was some distance from the station, and as I had hut little time to catch the train, I had to start before the thunderstorm was quite over, and was driven hurriedly away, having forgotten to give the key of the cellar to the butler in order that he might give it to his mistress. It was a fatal mistake. In due course, I reachod London, and met the friend whom I had to Bee on business ; we separated very late at night, bo when 1 got home I went straight into my bedroom without lighting the lamp in my sitting-room, or looking to see if there were any letters awaiting me. I was awakened about nine in the morning by the servant with a telegram. He told me two had come for me the previous night as well, and handed me all three. They were all from my aunt's butlor. The first waa . — « Come back at once with the -cellar key"; the second, "Start at once and bring the key with you " ; the third, "Cannot understand delay, most serious, start immediately." What a fuss to make about a W i'«*tcbed koy, I thought, but I couldd't afford to disobey these peremptory summonses, and so I started off at once. ' At two o'clock I was alighting at Aunt Julia's door. I •was somewhat disquieted, for the station-master had informed me that the dog-cart had been down to meet every train from London that day and the two last trains the previous night. Still, I had no suspicion of tho truth, but thought that Aunt Julia waa getting madder than ever. The dog-cart had no sooner drawn up at the door than the butler ran out, looking as if he had not been to feed all night, which, indeed, I afterwards found out was the case. " Thank goodness, you've come at last, sir," said he'; "the mistress might go off her head if you was kept much longer." "What rubbish is this about the key?" I asked. "It's safe enough with me, surely ?" "Too cafe, sir," said the butler. " We've been trying to break into the cellar since three o'clock yesterday afternoon. You left Miss Keeves looked up in it !" I saw it all. I had forgotten my aunt's habit of hiding herself in the cellar during a thunderstorm, and had locked her in. She must have slipped in during my short absence upstairs, and been shut in by me when I returned to lock the door. The village blacksmith, the butler told me, had boon at work for three or four h,ours, but the solid iron door and the patent lock had been too much for him, and he had gone" away exhausted, without having made any impression on them, while a maid was good enough to inform me that •" Poor Miss Reeves' cries was Bimply Jieartrßndin' all night,"

I didn't lose much time in rushing downstairs and unlocking the door, when my aunt came out, palo, dirty, covered with straw, and with her hair all hanging over hor shoulders. " My dear, dear aunt," I began. " Monster ! don't speak to me," she said, "you did it on purpose; but you shall pay for your practical joke." " Such an idea never " "Oh, didn't it? Were you not telegraphed for three times, yet you did not come till it suited you ? Leave my house at once ;" and she hurried past me to her rcom. Attempts to see her were useless, and I left the house without succeeding in catching a glimpse of my dear Aunt Julia I wrote letters to her, but they were returned unopened, and I nover saw her again. A year ago she died, and I went down to hear her will read, with faint hopes, but still with hopes. They were not realised. She left all her property to a missionary, who had got completely round her (he has since gone out, he says, to convert the heathen, but he has not, unfortunately, gone to a cannibal island). My name was, indeed, mentioned, however, in a special clause :—": — " To my nephew, George Reeves," it ran, <# he having once valuod ita possession so highly, I leave the collar key."