Then he tried out the plan that failed. His lawyer and his doctor
alone knew that Joseph Grimwell and Joseph Hooper were one and the
same person, and they were pledged to secrecy. One of them drew up his
will and the other made death as easy as possible for him. His nephew,
poor wretch, buried him in a grave alongside a devoted sister, froze
his ears while doing so--and lost his job in the bank besides!
The new will was read in the offices of Bradlee, Sigsbee & Oppenheim
on the day following Mr. Bingle's first ride in a taxi-cab. The heir
was too bewildered to attend the meeting arranged for the same
afternoon, and it had to be postponed. As a matter of fact, he sent
word to the lawyers that his wife was too ill to come down that
afternoon but would doubtless be better on the following day. When
informed that his wife's presence was unnecessary and that his cousins
were even then on their way down town and that there was no way to
head them off, he blandly inquired if it wouldn't be possible to
postpone the whole matter for a week or two, assuring the gentlemen
that he wouldn't, for all the world, disturb Mrs.
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