The Mysteries of the Court of London — page 188: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

162 THE COURT OF LONDON lordship or I shall undertake a journey into Warwickshire to represent to Lord Raymond the absolute necessity of his paying some little attention to the important suit so soon to be decided. I presume your lordship has received no com- munication from him? ”’ ‘““ None whatever,” replied the earl, gloomily. “Tt is now nearly two months, my lord,” continued Rigden, “ since the Master in Chancery was prepared to deliver his reports in the several matters of ‘ Montgomery versus Bellenden,’ ‘ Raymond Montgomery versus Bellenden,’ and ‘Aylmer versus Bellenden.’ But inasmuch as we did not then succeed in persuading Lord Raymond to come up to Lon- don and attend to the business, — indeed, as the letters which | we addressed to him remained altogether unanswered, — I was compelled to put in certain affidavits, as your lordship is aware, in order to effect the postponement of the case.” ‘‘ And the postponement was granted for two months, was it not? ”’ said the Earl of Montgomery, inquiringly. “Yes, my lord, until the end of May,” was the re- sponse. | ‘‘ And that will be in five more days,’”’ observed the earl, in a musing tone. “ Well, you had better send off your head clerk into Warwickshire without delay; and if he don’t find my brother at Malden Farm, I am sure I do not know where he is to search after him.”’ ‘ And yet it is of the utmost consequence to him, my lord,” said Rigden, “‘ that he should be found. You must remember that singular clause in your ancestor’s will, under which Lord Raymond claims the Warwickshire estates? If he do not comply with the conditions of that clause on or before the day on which he shall attain his twenty-second year, then does he forfeit all his right and title to those estates. Now, according to his baptismal certificate, he will be twenty-two on the 30th of May, and on the 31st the Master in Chancery will deliver his report. Should that report be unfavourable to Lord Raymond’s claims altogether, it will of course matter little or nothing whether he has complied with the testamentary conditions, or not; but if the report should be favourable, — and I do not possibly see how it can be other- wise, — then will it only remain for me to show the Lord Chancellor that the testamentary conditions aforesaid have been complied with.” CONNIE IOOKS m