Fairlie's will.
Such was the history of the ten thousand pounds. Here again no
difficulty could arise with Sir Percival's legal adviser. The
income would be at the wife's disposal, and the principal would go
to her aunt or her cousin on her death.
All preliminary explanations being now cleared out of the way, I
come at last to the real knot of the case--to the twenty thousand
pounds.
This sum was absolutely Miss Fairlie's own on her completing her
twenty-first year, and the whole future disposition of it
depended, in the first instance, on the conditions I could obtain
for her in her marriage-settlement. The other clauses contained
in that document were of a formal kind, and need not be recited
here. But the clause relating to the money is too important to be
passed over. A few lines will be sufficient to give the necessary
abstract of it.
My stipulation in regard to the twenty thousand pounds was simply
this: The whole amount was to be settled so as to give the income
to the lady for her life--afterwards to Sir Percival for his life--
and the principal to the children of the marriage. In default of
issue, the principal was to be disposed of as the lady might by
her will direct, for which purpose I reserved to her the right of
making a will.
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