HereMr。RupertSentLegerreadthememorandummarked\"B，\"whichistobereadasclause10oftheWill。Heisevidentlyamanofconsiderablenerve，forhisfacewasquiteimpassiveashereadthedocument，whichconveyedtohim（subjecttotheconditionslaiddown）
afortunewhichhasnoequalinamountinEurope，even，sofarasI
know，amongstthecrownedheads。Whenhehadreaditoverasecondtimehestoodupandsaid：
\"IwishIhadknownmyunclebetter。Hemusthavehadtheheartofaking。Ineverheardofsuchgenerosityashehasshownme。Mr。
Trent，Isee，fromtheconditionsofthismemorandum，orcodicil，orwhateveritis，thatIamtodeclarewithinaweekastowhetherI
accepttheconditionsimposedonme。Now，Iwantyoutotellmethis：mustIwaitaweektodeclare？\"Inanswer，Itoldhimthatthetestator’sintentionwasmanifestlytoseethathehadfulltimetoconsiderfullyeverypointbeforemakingformaldecisionanddeclaration。But，inanswertothespecificquestion，Icouldanswerthathemightmakedeclarationwhenhewould，provideditwasWITHIN，orrathernotafter，theweeknamed。Iadded：
\"ButIstronglyadviseyounottoacthurriedly。Soenormousasumisinvolvedthatyoumaybesurethatallpossibleeffortswillbemadebysomeoneorothertodispossessyouofyourinheritance，anditwillbewellthateverythingshallbedone，notonlyinperfectorder，butwithsuchmanifestcareanddeliberationthattherecanbenoquestionastoyourintention。\"
\"Thankyou，sir，\"heanswered；\"Ishalldoasyoushallkindlyadvisemeinthisasinotherthings。ButImaytellyounow——andyou，too，mydearSirColin——thatInotonlyacceptmyUncleRoger’sconditionsinthis，butthatwhenthetimecomesintheothermattersIshallaccepteveryconditionthathehadinhismind——andthatImayknowof——ineverything。\"Helookedexceedinglyinearnest，anditgavememuchpleasuretoseeandhearhim。Itwasjustwhatayoungmanshoulddowhohadseensogenerouslytreated。Asthetimehadnowcome，Igavehimthebulkyletteraddressedtohim，marked\"D\"whichIhadinmysafe。AsIfulfilledmyobligationinthematter，I
said：
\"Youneednotreadtheletterhere。Youcantakeitawaywithyou，andreaditbyyourselfatleisure。Itisyourownproperty，withoutanyobligationwhateverattachedtoit。Bytheway，perhapsitwouldbewellifyouknew。Ihaveacopysealedupinanenvelope，andendorsed，’Tobeopenedifoccasionshouldarise，’butnototherwise。
Willyouseemeto—morrow，or，betterstill，dinewithmealonehereto—night？Ishouldliketohaveatalkwithyou，andyoumaywishtoaskmesomequestions。\"Heansweredmecordially。Iactuallyfelttouchedbythewayhesaidgood—byebeforehewentaway。SirColinMacKelpiewentwithhim，asSentLegerwastodrophimattheReform。
LetterfromRogerMeltontoRupertSentLeger，endorsed\"D。reRupertSentLeger。TobegiventohimbyEdwardBinghamTrentifandassoonashehasdeclared（formallyorinformally）hisintentionofacceptingtheconditionsnamedinLetterB。，formingClause10inmyWill。R。M。，1/1/’07。
\"Mem。——Copy（sealed）leftincustodyofE。B。Trent，tobeopenedifnecessary，asdirected。\"
June11，1906。
MYDEARNEPHEW，When（ifever）youreceivethisyouwillknowthat（withtheexceptionofsomedefinitebequests）Ihavelefttoyou，undercertainconditions，theentirebulkofmyfortune——afortunesogreatthatbyitsaidasahelp，amanofcourageandabilitymaycarveoutforhimselfanameandplaceinhistory。ThespecificconditionscontainedinClause10ofmyWillhavetobeobserved，forsuchI
deemtobeofservicetoyourownfortune；buthereinIgivemyadvice，whichyouareatlibertytofollowornotasyouwill，andmywishes，whichIshalltrytoexplainfullyandclearly，sothatyoumaybeinpossessionofmyviewsincaseyoushoulddesiretocarrythemout，or，atleast，tosoendeavourthattheresultsIhopeformaybeultimatelyachieved。Firstletmeexplain——foryourunderstandingandyourguidance——thatthepower，orperhapsithadbetterbecalledthepressure，behindtheaccumulationofmyfortunehasbeenambition。Inobediencetoitscompulsion，ItoiledearlyandlateuntilIhadsoarrangedmattersthat，subjecttobroadsupervision，myideascouldbecarriedoutbymenwhomIhadselectedandtested，andnotfoundwanting。Thiswasforyearstothesatisfaction，andultimatelytotheaccumulationbythesemenoffortunecommensurateinsomemeasuretotheirownworthandtheirimportancetomydesigns。ThusIhadaccumulated，whilststillayoungman，aconsiderablefortune。ThisIhaveforoverfortyyearsusedsparinglyasregardsmypersonalneeds，daringlywithregardtospeculativeinvestments。WiththelatterItooksuchverygreatcare，studyingtheconditionssurroundingthemsothoroughly，thatevennowmyscheduleofbaddebtsorunsuccessfulinvestmentsisalmostablank。Perhapsbysuchmeansthingsflourishedwithme，andwealthpiledinsofastthatattimesIcouldhardlyuseittoadvantage。Thiswasalldoneastheforerunnerofambition，butI
wasoverfiftyyearsofagewhenthehorizonofambitionitselfopeneduptome。Ispeakthusfreely，mydearRupert，aswhenyoureaditIshallhavepassedaway，andnotambitionnorthefearofmisunderstanding，norevenofscorncantouchme。MyventuresincommerceandfinancecoverednotonlytheFarEast，buteveryfootofthewaytoit，sothattheMediterraneanandallitsopeningseaswerefamiliartome。InmyjourneyingsupanddowntheAdriaticI
wasalwaysstruckbythegreatbeautyandseemingrichness——nativerichness——oftheLandoftheBlueMountains。AtlastChancetookmeintothatdelectableregion。Whenthe\"BalkanStruggle\"of’90wason，oneofthegreatVoivodescametomeinsecrettoarrangealargeloanfornationalpurposes。ItwasknowninfinancialcirclesofbothEuropeandAsiathatItookanactivepartinthehautepolitiqueofnationaltreasuries，andtheVoivodeVissarioncametomeastooneableandwillingtocarryouthiswishes。Afterconfidentialpour—parlers，heexplainedtomethathisnationwasinthethroesofagreatcrisis。Asyouperhapsknow，thegallantlittleNationintheLandoftheBlueMountainshashadastrangehistory。Formorethanathousandyears——eversinceitssettlementafterthedisasterofRossoro——ithadmaintaineditsnationalindependenceunderseveralformsofGovernment。AtfirstithadaKingwhosesuccessorsbecamesodespoticthattheyweredethroned。
ThenitwasgovernedbyitsVoivodes，withthecombininginfluenceofaVladikasomewhatsimilarinpowerandfunctiontothePrince—
BishopsofMontenegro；afterwardsbyaPrince；or，asatpresent，byanirregularelectiveCouncil，influencedinamodifiedformbytheVladika，whowasthensupposedtoexerciseapurelyspiritualfunction。SuchaCouncilinasmall，poornationdidnothavesufficientfundsforarmaments，whichwerenotimmediatelyandimperativelynecessary；andthereforetheVoivodeVissarion，whohadvastestatesinhisownpossession，andwhowasthepresentrepresentativeafamilywhichofoldhadbeenleadersintheland，founditadutytodoonhisownaccountthatwhichtheStatecouldnotdo。Forsecurityastotheloanwhichhewishedtoget，andwhichwasindeedavastone，heofferedtosellmehiswholeestateifIwouldsecuretohimarighttorepurchaseitwithinagiventime（atimewhichImaysayhassometimeagoexpired）。Hemadeitaconditionthatthesaleandagreementshouldremainastrictsecretbetweenus，asawidespreadknowledgethathisestatehadchangedhandswouldinallprobabilityresultinmydeathandhisownatthehandsofthemountaineers，whoarebeyondeverythingloyal，andwerejealoustothelastdegree。AnattackbyTurkeywasfeared，andnewarmamentswererequired；andthepatrioticVoivodewassacrificinghisowngreatfortuneforthepublicgood。Whatasacrificethiswashewellknew，forinalldiscussionsregardingapossiblechangeintheConstitutionoftheBlueMountainsitwasalwaystakenforgrantedthatiftheprinciplesoftheConstitutionshouldchangetoamorepersonalrule，hisownfamilyshouldberegardedastheMostNoble。Ithadeverbeenonthesideoffreedominoldentime；beforetheestablishmentoftheCouncil，orevenduringtheruleoftheVoivodes，theVissarionhadeverynowandagainstoodoutagainsttheKingorchallengedthePrincedom。Theverynamestoodforfreedom，fornationality，againstforeignoppression；andtheboldmountaineersweredevotedtoit，asinotherfreecountriesmenfollowtheflag。
Suchloyaltywasapowerandahelpintheland，foritknewdangerineveryform；andanythingwhichaidedthecohesionofitsintegerswasanaturalasset。Oneverysideotherpowers，greatandsmall，pressedtheland，anxioustoacquireitssuzeraintybyanymeans——
fraudorforce。Greece，Turkey，Austria，Russia，Italy，France，hadalltriedinvain。Russia，oftenhurledback，waswaitinganopportunitytoattack。AustriaandGreece，althoughunitedbynocommonpurposeordesign，werereadytothrowintheirforceswithwhomsoevermightseemmostlikelytobevictor。OtherBalkanStates，too，werenotlackingindesiretoaddthelittleterritoryoftheBlueMountainstotheirmoreamplepossessions。Albania，Dalmatia，Herzegovina，Servia，Bulgaria，lookedwithlustfuleyesontheland，whichwasinitselfavastnaturalfortress，havingcloseunderitsshelterperhapsthefinestharbourbetweenGibraltarandtheDardanelles。
Butthefierce，hardymountaineerswereunconquerable。Forcenturiestheyhadfought，withafervourandfurythatnothingcouldwithstandorabate，attacksontheirindependence。Timeaftertime，centuryaftercentury，theyhadopposedwithdauntlessfrontinvadingarmiessentagainstthem。Thisunquenchablefireoffreedomhadhaditseffect。Oneandall，thegreatPowersknewthattoconquerthatlittlenationwouldbenomeantask，butratherthatofatirelessgiant。Overandoveragainhadtheyfoughtwithunitsagainsthundreds，neverceasinguntiltheyhadeitherwipedouttheirfoesentirelyorseenthemretreatacrossthefrontierindiminishednumbers。
Formanyyearspast，however，theLandoftheBlueMountainshadremainedunassailable，forallthePowersandStateshadfearedlesttheothersshoulduniteagainsttheonewhoshouldbegintheattack。
AtthetimeIspeakoftherewasafeelingthroughouttheBlueMountains——and，indeed，elsewhere——thatTurkeywaspreparingforawarofoffence。Theobjectiveofherattackwasnotknownanywhere，butheretherewasevidencethattheTurkish\"BureauofSpies\"wasinactiveexercisetowardstheirsturdylittleneighbour。Toprepareforthis，theVoivodePeterVissarionapproachedmeinordertoobtainthenecessary\"sinewsofwar。\"
ThesituationwascomplicatedbythefactthattheElectiveCouncilwasatpresentlargelyheldtogetherbytheoldGreekChurch，whichwasthereligionofthepeople，andwhichhadhadsincethebeginningitsdestinieslinkedinalargedegreewiththeirs。Thusitwaspossiblethatifawarshouldbreakout，itmighteasilybecome——
whatevermighthavebeenitscauseorbeginnings——awarofcreeds。
ThisintheBalkansmustbelargelyoneofraces，theendofwhichnomindcoulddiagnoseorevenguessat。
Ihadnowforsometimehadknowledgeofthecountryanditspeople，andhadcometolovethemboth。ThenobilityofVissarion’sself—
sacrificeatonceappealedtome，andIfeltthatI，too，shouldliketohaveahandintheupholdingofsuchalandandsuchapeople。
Theybothdeservedfreedom。WhenVissarionhandedmethecompleteddeedofsaleIwasgoingtotearitup；buthesomehowrecognizedmyintention，andforestalledit。Hehelduphishandarrestinglyashesaid：
\"Irecognizeyourpurpose，and，believeme，Ihonouryouforitfromtheverydepthsofmysoul。But，myfriend，itmustnotbe。Ourmountaineersareproudbeyondbelief。Thoughtheywouldallowme——
whoamoneofthemselves，andwhosefathershavebeeninsomewayleadersandspokesmenamongstthemformanycenturies——todoallthatisinmypowertodo——andwhat，eachandall，theywouldbegladtodowerethecalltothem——theywouldnotacceptaidfromoneoutsidethemselves。Mygoodfriend，theywouldresentit，andmightshowtoyou，whowishusallsowell，activehostility，whichmightendindanger，orevendeath。Thatwaswhy，myfriend，Iaskedtoputaclauseinouragreement，thatImighthaverighttorepurchasemyestate，regardingwhichyouwouldfainactsogenerously。\"
Thusitis，mydearnephewRupert，onlysonofmydearsister，thatI
herebychargeyousolemnlyasyouvalueme——asyouvalueyourself——asyouvaluehonour，that，shoulditeverbecomeknownthatthatnobleVoivode，PeterVissarion，imperilledhimselfforhiscountry’sgood，andifitbeofdangerorevilreputetohimthatevenforsuchapurposehesoldhisheritage，youshallatonceandtotheknowledgeofthemountaineers——thoughnotnecessarilytoothers——reconveytohimorhisheirsthefreeholdthathewaswillingtopartwith——andthathehasdefactopartedwithbytheeffluxionofthetimeduringwhichhisrightofrepurchaseexisted。Thisisasecrettrustanddutywhichisbetweentheeandmealoneinthefirstinstance；adutywhichIhaveundertakenonbehalfofmyheirs，andwhichmustbecarriedout，atwhatsoevercostmayensue。YoumustnottakeitthatitisfromanymistrustofyouorbeliefthatyouwillfailthatI
havetakenanothermeasuretoinsurethatthismycherishedideaisborneout。Indeed，itisthatthelawmay，incaseofneed——fornomancanknowwhatmayhappenafterhisownhandbetakenfromtheplough——becompliedwith，thatIhaveinanotherletterwrittenfortheguidanceofothers，directedthatincaseofanyfailuretocarryoutthistrust——deathorother——thedirectionbecomeaclauseorcodiciltomyWill。ButinthemeantimeIwishthatthisbekeptasecretbetweenustwo。Toshowyouthefullextentofmyconfidence，letmeheretellyouthattheletteralludedtoaboveismarked\"C，\"
anddirectedtomysolicitorandco—executor，EdwardBinghamTrent，whichisfinallytoberegardedasclauseelevenofmyWill。Towhichendhehasmyinstructionsandalsoacopyofthisletter，whichis，incaseofneed，andthatonly，tobeopened，andistobeaguidetomywishesastothecarryingoutbyyouoftheconditionsonwhichyouinherit。
Andnow，mydearnephew，letmechangetoanothersubjectmoredeartome——yourself。WhenyoureadthisIshallhavepassedaway，sothatIneednotbehamperednowbythatreservewhichIfeelhasgrownuponmethroughalongandself—containedlife。Yourmotherwasverydeartome。Asyouknow，shewastwentyyearsyoungerthanheryoungestbrother，whowastwoyearsyoungerthanme。Sowewereallyoungmenwhenshewasababy，and，Ineednotsay，apetamongstus——almostlikeourownchildtoeachofus，aswellasoursister。
Youknewhersweetnessandhighquality，soIneedsaynothingofthese；butIshouldlikeyoutounderstandthatshewasverydeartome。WhensheandyourfathercametoknowandloveeachotherIwasfaraway，openingupanewbranchofbusinessintheinteriorofChina，anditwasnotforseveralmonthsthatIgothomenews。WhenIfirstheardofhimtheyhadalreadybeenmarried。Iwasdelightedtofindthattheywereveryhappy。TheyneedednothingthatIcouldgive。WhenhediedsosuddenlyItriedtocomforther，andallIhadwasatherdisposal，didshewantit。Shewasaproudwoman——thoughnotwithme。Shehadcometounderstandthat，thoughIseemedcoldandhard（andperhapswassogenerally），Iwasnotsotoher。Butshewouldnothavehelpofanykind。WhenIpressedher，shetoldmethatshehadenoughforyourkeepandeducationandherownsustenanceforthetimeshemuststilllive；thatyourfatherandshehadagreedthatyoushouldbebroughtuptoahealthyandstrenuousliferatherthantooneofluxury；andshethoughtthatitwouldbebetterforthedevelopmentofyourcharacterthatyoushouldlearntobeself—reliantandtobecontentwithwhatyourdearfatherhadleftyou。Shehadalwaysbeenawiseandthoughtfulgirl，andnowallherwisdomandthoughtwereforyou，yourfather’sandherchild。Whenshespokeofyouandyourfuture，shesaidmanythingswhichI
thoughtmemorable。OneofthemIremembertothisday。Itwasaproposofmysayingthatthereisadangerofitsownkindinextremepoverty。Ayoungmanmightknowtoomuchwant。Sheansweredme：\"True！Thatisso！Butthereisadangerthatoverridesit；\"
andafteratimewenton：
\"Itisbetternottoknowwantsthannottoknowwant！\"Itellyou，boy，thatisagreattruth，andIhopeyouwillrememberitforyourselfaswellasapartofthewisdomofyourmother。Andhereletmesaysomethingelsewhichisasortofcorollaryofthatwiseutterance：
IdaresayyouthoughtmeveryhardandunsympatheticthattimeI
wouldnot，asoneofyourtrustees，agreetoyourtransferringyourlittlefortunetoMissMacKelpie。Idaresayyoubearagrudgetowardsmeaboutituptothisday。Well，ifyouhaveanyofthatremaining，putitasidewhenyouknowthetruth。Thatrequestofyourswasanunspeakabledelighttome。Itwaslikeyourmothercomingbackfromthedead。ThatlittleletterofyoursmademewishforthefirsttimethatIhadason——andthatheshouldbelikeyou。
Ifellintoasortofreverie，thinkingifIwereyettoooldtomarry，sothatasonmightbewithmeinmydecliningyears——ifsuchweretoeverbeforme。ButIconcludedthatthismightnotbe。
TherewasnowomanwhomIkneworhadevermetwiththatIcouldloveasyourmotherlovedyourfatherandashelovedher。SoIresignedmyselftomyfate。Imustgomylonelyroadontotheend。Andthencamearayoflightintomydarkness：therewasyou。Thoughyoumightnotfeellikeasontome——Icouldnotexpectitwhenthememoryofthatsweetrelationshipwasmoreworthilyfilled。ButI
couldfeellikeafathertoyou。Nothingcouldpreventthatorinterferewithit，forIwouldkeepitasmysecretintheveryholyofholiesofmyheart，wherehadbeenforthirtyyearstheimageofasweetlittlechild——yourmother。Myboy，wheninyourfuturelifeyoushallhavehappinessandhonourandpower，Ihopeyouwillsometimesgiveathoughttothelonelyoldmanwhoselateryearsyourveryexistenceseemedtobrighten。
Thethoughtofyourmotherrecalledmetomyduty。Ihadundertakenforherasacredtask：tocarryoutherwishesregardingherson。I
knewhowshewouldhaveacted。Itmight——would——havebeentoherastruggleofinclinationandduty；anddutywouldhavewon。AndsoI
carriedoutmyduty，thoughItellyouitwasaharshandbittertasktomeatthetime。ButImaytellyouthatIhavesincebeengladwhenIthinkoftheresult。Itried，asyoumayperhapsremember，tocarryoutyourwishesinanotherway，butyourletterputthedifficultyofdoingsosoclearlybeforemethatIhadtogiveitup。
Andletmetellyouthatthatletterendearedyoutomemorethanever。
IneednottellyouthatthenceforthIfollowedyourlifeveryclosely。Whenyouranawaytosea，Iusedinsecreteverypartofthemechanismofcommercetofindoutwhathadbecomeofyou。Then，untilyouhadreachedyourmajority，Ihadaconstantwatchkeptuponyou——nottointerferewithyouinanyway，butsothatImightbeabletofindyoushouldneedarise。WheninduecourseIheardofyourfirstactoncomingofageIwassatisfied。IhadtoknowofthecarryingoutofyouroriginalintentiontowardsJanetMacKelpie，forthesecuritieshadtobetransferred。
FromthattimeonIwatched——ofcoursethroughothereyes——yourchiefdoings。Itwouldhavebeenapleasuretometohavebeenabletohelpincarryingoutanyhopeorambitionofyours，butIrealizedthatintheyearsinterveningbetweenyourcomingofageandthepresentmomentyouwerefulfillingyourideasandambitionsinyourownway，and，asIshalltrytoexplaintoyoupresently，myambitionsalso。Youwereofsoadventurousanaturethatevenmyownwidely—spreadmachineryofacquiringinformation——whatImaycallmyprivate\"intelligencedepartment\"——wasinadequate。MymachinerywasfairlyadequatefortheEast——ingreatpart，atallevents。ButyouwentNorthandSouth，andWestalso，and，inaddition，youessayedrealmswherecommerceandpurelyrealaffairshavenofoothold——
worldsofthought，ofspiritualimport，ofpsychicphenomena——
speakinggenerally，ofmysteries。AsnowandagainIwasbaffledinmyinquiries，Ihadtoenlargemymechanism，andtothisendstarted—
—notinmyownname，ofcourse——somenewmagazinesdevotedtocertainbranchesofinquiryandadventure。Shouldyouevercaretoknowmoreofthesethings，Mr。Trent，inwhosenamethestockisleft，willbedelightedtogiveyoualldetails。Indeed，thesestocks，likeallelseIhave，shallbeyourswhenthetimecomes，ifyoucaretoaskforthem。BymeansofTheJournalofAdventure，TheMagazineofMystery，Occultism，BalloonandAeroplane，TheSubmarine，JungleandPampas，TheGhostWorld，TheExplorer，ForestandIsland，OceanandCreek，IwasoftenkeptinformedwhenIshouldotherwisehavebeenignorantofyourwhereaboutsanddesigns。Forinstance，whenyouhaddisappearedintotheForestoftheIncas，IgotthefirstwhisperofyourstrangeadventuresanddiscoveriesintheburiedcitiesofEudorifromacorrespondentofTheJournalofAdventurelongbeforethedetailsgiveninTheTimesoftherock—templeoftheprimevalsavages，whereonlyremainedthelittledragonserpents，whosegiantancestorswererudelysculpturedonthesacrificialaltar。IwellrememberhowIthrilledateventhatmeagreaccountofyourgoinginaloneintothatveritablehell。ItwasfromOccultismthatIlearnedhowyouhadmadeastayaloneinthehauntedcatacombsofElora，inthefarrecessesoftheHimalayas，andofthefearfulexperienceswhich，whenyoucameoutshudderingandghastly，overcametoalmostepilepticfearthosewhohadbandedthemselvestogethertogoasfarastherock—cutapproachtothehiddentemple。
AllsuchthingsIreadwithrejoicing。Youwereshapingyourselfforawiderandloftieradventure，whichwouldcrownmoreworthilyyourmaturedmanhood。WhenIreadofyouinadescriptionofMihask，inMadagascar，andthedevil—worshipthererarelyheld，IfeltIhadonlytowaitforyourhome—cominginordertobroachtheenterpriseI
hadsolongcontemplated。ThiswaswhatIread：
\"Heisamantowhomnoadventureistoowildortoodaring。Hisrecklessbraveryisabywordamongstmanysavagepeoplesandamongstmanyothersnotsavages，whosefearsarenotofmaterialthings，butoftheworldofmysteriesinandbeyondthegrave。Hedaresnotonlywildanimalsandsavagemen；buthastackledAfricanmagicandIndianmysticism。ThePsychicalResearchSocietyhaslongexploitedhisdeedsofvaliance，andlookeduponhimasperhapstheirmosttrustedagentorsourceofdiscovery。Heisintheveryprimeoflife，ofalmostgiantstatureandstrength，trainedtotheuseofallarmsofallcountries，inuredtoeverykindofhardship，subtle—mindedandresourceful，understandinghumannaturefromitselementalformup。
Tosaythatheisfearlesswouldbeinadequate。Inaword，heisamanwhosestrengthanddaringfithimforanyenterpriseofanykind。
Hewoulddareanddoanythingintheworldoroutofit，ontheearthorunderit，intheseaor——intheair，fearingnothingmaterialorunseen，notmanorghost，norGodnorDevil。\"
Ifyouevercaretothinkofit，Icarriedthatcuttinginmypocket—
bookfromthathourIreadittillnow。
Remember，again，Isay，thatIneverinterferedintheslightestwayinanyofyouradventures。Iwantedyouto\"dreeyourownweird，\"astheScotchsay；andIwantedtoknowofit——thatwasall。Now，asI
holdyoufullyequippedforgreaterenterprise，Iwanttosetyourfeetontheroadandtoprovideyouwiththemostpotentweapon——
beyondpersonalqualities——forthewinningofgreathonour——again，mydearnephew，which，Iamrightsure，doesandwillappealtoyouasithaseverdonetome。Ihaveworkedforitformorethanfiftyyears；butnowthatthetimehascomewhenthetorchisslippingfrommyoldhands，Ilooktoyou，mydearestkinsman，toliftitandcarryiton。
ThelittlenationoftheBlueMountainshasfromthefirstappealedtome。Itispoorandproudandbrave。Itspeoplearewellworthwinning，andIwouldadviseyoutothrowinyourlotwiththem。Youmayfindthemhardtowin，forwhenpeoples，likeindividuals，arepoorandproud，thesequalitiesareapttoreactoneachothertoanendlessdegree。Thesemenareuntamable，andnoonecaneversucceedwiththemunlessheiswiththeminall—in—all，andisaleaderrecognized。Butifyoucanwinthemtheyareloyaltodeath。Ifyouareambitious——andIknowyouare——theremaybeafieldforyouinsuchacountry。Withyourqualifications，fortifiedbythefortunewhichIamhappyenoughtobeabletoleaveyou，youmaydaremuchandgofar。ShouldIbealivewhenyoureturnfromyourexplorationinNorthernSouthAmerica，Imayhavethehappinessofhelpingyoutothisoranyotherambition，andIshalldeemitaprivilegetoshareitwithyou；buttimeisgoingon。Iaminmyseventy—secondyear……theyearsofmanarethree—scoreandten——Isupposeyouunderstand；Ido……Letmepointoutthis：Forambitiousprojectsthegreatnationalitiesareimpossibletoastranger——andinourownwearelimitedbyloyalty（andcommon—sense）。Itisonlyinasmallnationthatgreatambitionscanbeachieved。Ifyousharemyownviewsandwishes，theBlue。Mountainsisyourground。IhopedatonetimethatImightyetbecomeaVoivode——evenagreatone。Butagehasdulledmypersonalambitionsasithascrampedmypowers。Inolongerdreamofsuchhonourformyself，thoughIdolookonitasapossibilityforyouifyoucareforit。ThroughmyWillyouwillhaveagreatpositionandagreatestate，andthoughyoumayhavetoyieldupthelatterinaccordancewithmywish，asalreadyexpressedinthisletter，theverydoingsowillgiveyouanevengreaterholdthanthispossessionintheheartsofthemountaineers，shouldtheyevercometoknowit。ShoulditbethatatthetimeyouinheritfrommetheVoivodeVissarionshouldnotbealive，itmayserveoraidyoutoknowthatinsuchcaseyouwouldbeabsolvedfromanyconditionsofmine，thoughItrustyouwouldinthat，asinallothermatters，holdobligationenforcedbyyourownhonourastomywishes。
Thereforethematterstandsthus：IfVissarionlives，youwillrelinquishtheestates。Shouldsuchnotbethecase，youwillactasyoubelievethatIwouldwishyouto。IneithercasethemountaineersshouldnotknowfromyouinanywayofthesecretcontractsbetweenVissarionandmyself。Enlightenmentofthemanyshould（ifever）comefromothersthanyourself。Andunlesssuchtakeplace，youwouldleavetheestateswithoutanyquidproquowhatever。Thisyouneednotmind，forthefortuneyouwillinheritwillleaveyoufreeandabletopurchaseotherestatesintheBlueMountainsorelsewherethatyoumayselectintheworld。
Ifothersattack，attackthem，andquickerandharderthantheycan，ifsuchbeapossibility。ShoulditeverbethatyouinherittheCastleofVissarionontheSpearofIvan，rememberthatIhaditsecretlyfortifiedandarmedagainstattack。Therearenotonlymassivegrilles，butdoorsofchilledbronzewheresuchbeneeded。