The niece to
whom all the property was left--to the exclusion of the son and daughter
of the deceased, both married, and living away from home--stayed with
the testator and looked after him. Shortly before his death, however, he
and this niece had violently quarrelled on account of an intimacy
which the latter had formed with a married man of bad repute, who was
a discharged lawyer's clerk. So serious had been the quarrel that only
three days before his death the testator had sent for a lawyer and
formally, by means of a codicil, deprived the niece of a sum of L2,000
which he had left her, all the rest of his property being divided
between his son and daughter. Three days afterwards, however, he duly
executed a fresh will, in the presence of two servants, by which he
left all his property to the niece, to the entire exclusion of his
own children. This will, though very short, was in proper form and
was written by nobody knew whom. The servants stated that the testator
before signing it was perfectly acquainted with its contents, for the
niece had made him repeat them in their presence.
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