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"This heart has already shed them, but in secret, for Kabel was my friend," he said, and looked around. He noticed with pleasure that all were sitting there as dry as wooden corks; at this special moment crocodiles, stags, elephants, witches, ravens could have wept more easily than the heirs, so disturbed and enraged were they by Glanz. Flachs was the only one who had a secret inspiration.
Now, seven distant living relatives of seven distant deceased relatives of Kabel were cherishing some hope of a legacy, because the Croesus had sworn to remember them. These hopes, however, were very faint.
The chin of Flachs, the Preacher-at-Early-Service, grew downward into a regular beard. The City Councillors could hear several softly ejaculated obituaries referring to the late Kabel under the name of scamp, fool, infidel, etc. If, however, all eyes remain dry, then the house likewise shall fall to the exclusive heir whom I am about to name."
They duly and properly requested of the magistrates the charter consigned to the latter by the late Kabel, and asked for the opening of the will. The chief executor of the will was the officiating Burgomaster in person, the under-executors were the Municipal-Councilors.
Then after the Town-Clerk had again drawn up a short record of all this the will was opened in God's name and read aloud by the officiating Burgomaster. It ran as follows: "I, Van der Kabel, do draw up my will on this seventh day of May 179-, here in my house in Haslau, in Dog Street, without a great ado of words, although I have been both a German notary and a Dutch dominé.
Since Haslau had been a princely residence no one could remember any event the birth of the heir apparent excepted that had been awaited with such curiosity as the opening of the Van der Kabel will. Van der Kabel might have been called the Haslau Croesus and his life described as a pleasure-making mint, or a washing of gold sand under a golden rain, or in whatever other terms wit could devise.
"O Kabel, my Kabel!" continued Glanz, almost weeping for joy at the prospect of the approaching tears of sorrow. "When once beside your loving heart covered with earth my heart too shall mol " "I believe, honored gentlemen," said Flachs mournfully, arising and looking around, his eyes brimming over, "I am weeping."
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