Wilkie Collins

The Queen of Hearts Wilkie Collins

Her name (in relation to which I shall have something more to say a little further on) is JessieYelverton. She is an orphan and an only child. Her mother died while she was an infant; her fatherwas my dear and valued friend, Major Yelverton. He lived long enough to celebrate his darling'sseventh birthday. When he died he intrusted his authority over her and his responsibility toward herto his brother and to me. When I was summoned to the reading of the major's will, I knew perfectly well that I should hearmyself appointed guardian and executor with his brother; and I had been also made acquainted withmy lost friend's wishes as to his daughter's education, and with his intentions as to the disposal of allhis property in her favor. My own idea, therefore, was, that the reading of the will would inform meof nothing which I had not known in the testator's lifetime. When the day came for hearing it, however, I found that I had been over hasty in arriving at this conclusion. Toward the end of thedocument there was a clause inserted which took me entirely by surprise. After providing for the education of Miss Yelverton under the direction of her guardians, and forher residence, under ordinary circumstances, with the major's sister, Lady Westwick, the clauseconcluded by saddling the child's future inheritance with this curious condition: From the period of her leaving school to the period of her reaching the age of twenty-one years, Miss Yelverton was to pass not less than six consecutive weeks out of every year under the roof ofone of her two guardians. During the lives of both of them, it was left to her own choice to saywhich of the two she would prefer to live with. In all other respects the condition was imperative. Ifshe forfeited it, excepting, of course, the case of the deaths of both her guardians, she was only tohave a life-interest in the property; if she obeyed it, the money itself was to become her ownpossession on the day when she completed her twenty-first ye