Cousin Henry · Chapter
Mr. Apjohn's Explanation explained
After the funeral of Squire Indefer Jones, the will is to be read.
What happens
After the funeral of Squire Indefer Jones, the will is to be read. Mr. Apjohn, the attorney, explains the circumstances surrounding the last will, expressing his distaste for the will favoring Cousin Henry and hinting at the possibility of a later will. The tension is palpable as Cousin Henry shows visible signs of distress. Joseph Cantor and his son testify to witnessing a later will signed by the Squire.
Themes in this chapter
Inheritance and Primogeniture
The central conflict revolves around the rightful heir to the Llanfeare estate, with the will favoring Cousin Henry over Isabel.
Duty vs. Conscience
Mr. Apjohn struggles between his duty to execute the will and his conscience that the property should go to Isabel.
Guilt and Conscience
Cousin Henry's visible trembling and sweating suggest a guilty conscience regarding the hidden will.
Characters to notice
- Cousin Henry
Sits alone, visibly trembling and sweating, unable to eat or speak during the funeral lunch, and is clearly odious to the tenants.
- Mr. Apjohn
The attorney who reads the will and explains the possibility of a later will, having advised against the current one.
- Isabel Brodrick
Present at the reading of the will, sitting with the housekeeper Mrs. Griffith.
- Squire Indefer Jones
Deceased; his funeral and the reading of his will are the focus of the chapter.
- Joseph Cantor
Testifies along with his son about witnessing a later will signed by the Squire.
- Mrs. Griffith
The housekeeper who sits with Isabel during the will reading.
Key passages
“The document lying at the top of the bundle was opened out very slowly by the attorney, who smoothed it down with his hand preparatory to reading it.”
The lawyer slowly unfolded the top paper from the bundle and smoothed it out before reading.
Mr. Apjohn deliberately delays the reading of the will.
“I did not think it well that an old man in feeble health should change a purpose to which he had come in his maturer years, after very long deliberation, and on a matter of such vital moment.”
Mr. Apjohn felt it unwise for the Squire to alter his long-considered decision about the inheritance while ill.
Mr. Apjohn explains his opposition to the current will.
“If he left such a will, it will be found among his papers. I have turned over nothing as yet; but as it was here in this drawer and tied in this bundle that Mr. Jones was accustomed to keep his will—as the last will which I made is here, as I expected to find it, together with those which he had made before and which he seems never to have wished to destroy, I have had to explain all this to you.”
Mr. Apjohn says that if a later will exists, it should be among the Squire's papers, but he hasn't searched yet; he explains the situation because the most recent will he prepared is present.
Mr. Apjohn sets the stage for the search for the later will.