The story was told at length, with the family clustered around Jack and
Tom, hanging on every word as though it were the most thrilling thing
they had ever heard, which in truth it must be.
Then Tom had to be considered. Lieutenant Beverly volunteered to go over
to the Raymond house, which could easily be pointed out to him, and bring
back the startled family, so they could greet their boy, whom they, of
course, supposed to be at that very moment still overseas, risking his
life in his perilous calling.
It seemed to Tom that the delight of once more greeting these loved
ones well repaid him for all he had passed through in making that
wonderful flight. The story had to be all gone over again, and scores
of questions answered.
By degrees the scope of Jack's plan was grasped by his family, who of
course knew about the strange conditions of Joshua Kinkaid's will,
whereby the bulk of his large estate, long before promised to the
Parmlys, would go without restrictions to either Randolph Carringford or
Jack Parmly, according to which of them, after the death of the testator,
appeared before a notary public specified in Bridgeton, and qualified to
assume the trust.
So, too, the plan of campaign designed to confound the arch-schemer
who had even plotted to keep Jack from ever applying in person, was
agreed to.
The presence of the three was to be kept a dead secret. They would not go
out of the house by daylight, even for a breath of air.
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