The death of Judge Pyncheon naturally caused a great deal of talk in the town. But when it came to be understood that he had died a natural death, people soon forgot ali about him. There were some stories, told privately, about his past. But these stories had to do more with the supposed murder, thirty years before, of his old uncle, Jaffrey Pyncheon. Largely through the work of Mr. Holgrave, the photographer, it was proven that Clifford had had nothing to do with the death of his uncle. Instead, the cırcumstances had been so arranged that it simply appeared that Clifford had murdered the old man. It seems that Judge Pyncheon, when he was a young man, was of rather bad character. He had shown himself to be wild and interested in low pleasures. For this reason he had lost the affection of his uncle, who at first had cared for him very much. One night, according to the story, the young man went to his uncle’s home to look for money and also to go through his uncle’s private papers. While there, he was surprised by the opening of the door of his uncle’s study. There stood old Jaffrey

 

Pyncheon in his night clothes. The surprise at finding his nephew going through his private papers was too much for the old man. He became very much excited. Like so many other members of the Pyncheon family before him, he had the samc coughing sensation in his throat. Blood came to his mouth. Ilı- fell down dead. What was to be done? Help would conıe too late. The old man was surely dead. It would also be difficult for young Jaffrey Pyncheon to explain what he was doing there. He therefore continued to look through his uncle’s papers. He found a will, written a short time before, naming Clifford as the uncle’s legal representative and leaving to him ali the uncle’s money. This will yöung Jaffrey Pyncheon threw away. He also found an older will in which he himself was named as the uncle’s legal representative. This will he let remain. He had gone through ali the drawers of his uncle’s table. There were papers throvvn everyvvhere about the room.

 

He decided to leave the room in this condition so that people would think that Clifford, who lived in the same house with the uncle, had perhaps fought with the old man and killed him. Such, as it happened, turned out to be the case. Clifford was thought to have murdered his uncle. Young Jaffrey Pyncheon remained silent during ali this period and let things take their natural course. Clifford was tried for the murder of his uncle and sent to prison. Jaffrey Pyncheon, in turn, received ali his uncle’s money and everything he owned. He later became, as we have seen, Judge Pyncheon, a person of great importance in the town.

 

In any case, we leave Judge Pyncheon now to rest in his grave. His death naturally had a great influence över Clifford. Clifford seemed to feel really free for the first time since he came out of prison. For the first few days he was greatly excited över what had happened. Then he became calm again, but without falling back completely into his old ways. His manner in general was more cheerful. He never, it is true, became the man of light and happy spirits he had been when younger. But he began to take more interest in things about him. His periods of pleasure lasted longer. He seemed less old and tired.

 

Judge Pyncheon did not know it at the time of his death, but a week earlier his only son, who had been traveling in Europe, fell suddenly sick and died just before he was about to leave for home. Ali of the judge’s hard work to make himself even a richer man therefore came to nothing. Ali of his money and property now passed to the only remaining members of the Pyncheon family. Hepzibah, Clifford, and Phoebe became rich. Holgrave, too, through Phoebe, became a member of the family and was able to enjoy with them ali the pleasures of their new