# Jasper Treverton's Will explained — The Cloven Foot > Chapter companion for The Cloven Foot by M. E. Braddon. ## What happens Jasper Treverton dies after a lingering illness, and his will is read, revealing that John Treverton inherits the estate only if he marries Laura Malcolm within a year. The awkward condition unsettles both John and Laura. John accepts an invitation to stay with the lawyer, Thomas Sampson, and his sister Eliza, while Laura is left to consider her position. ## Themes in this chapter ### Inheritance and Legitimacy The will's condition ties John's inheritance to marriage with Laura, raising questions about legitimacy and obligation. ### Love and Marriage The marriage condition creates an awkward, transactional dynamic between John and Laura, contrasting romantic ideals. ### Social Class and Wealth John's eagerness for wealth and the contrast between the manor and the Sampsons' modest home highlight class distinctions. ## Character check-ins ### John Treverton The expectant heir, anxious for the inheritance and troubled by the marriage condition. ### Laura Malcolm Jasper Treverton's adopted daughter, startled by the will's condition and leaves the room silently. ### Thomas Sampson The village solicitor and trustee, who reads the will and invites John to stay at his home. ### Edward Clare The vicar and Jasper Treverton's close friend, present at the reading and a trustee of the estate. ### Eliza Sampson Thomas Sampson's sister, who welcomes John Treverton to 'The Laurels' with elaborate preparations. ### Jasper Treverton The deceased testator, whose will imposes the marriage condition on his heir. ## Key lines > After six monotonous days, every one of which was exactly like the other for John Treverton, who smoked his solitary cigar in the wintry garden, and ate his solitary meals in the great dining-room with his mind always filled by that one subject—the inheritance which seemed so nearly within his grasp—the night came upon which Jasper Treverton’s feeble hold of life relaxed altogether John Treverton endured a week of tedious waiting, preoccupied with the inheritance, until Jasper Treverton finally died. _Highlights John's impatience and focus on the wealth._ > The will was very simply worded. It commenced with some bequests to the old servants... After these things had been duly set forth the testator went on to leave the remainder of his property, real and personal to his cousin, John Treverton, provided the said John Treverton should marry his dearly-beloved adopted daughter, Laura Malcolm, within one year of his decease. The will left small gifts to servants and then gave the entire estate to John Treverton on the condition that he marry Laura Malcolm within a year. _Reveals the central condition of the inheritance._ > Miss Malcolm looked up with a startled expression as this strange bequest was read. John Treverton’s face assumed a sudden pallor that was by no means flattering to the lady whose fate was involved in the singular condition which attached to his inheritance. Both Laura and John were shocked by the marriage condition, John's pale face showing his dismay. _Emphasizes the awkwardness and lack of romantic feeling._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_cloven_foot_se/chapters/ii-jasper-treverton-s-will - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_cloven_foot_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_cloven_foot_se/chapters