Sir Florian had made a settlement
immediately before his marriage, and a will immediately afterwards. Of
what he had done then, nothing had been altered in those sad Italian days.
The settlement had been very generous. The whole property in Scotland was
to belong to Lizzie for her life, and after her death was to go to a
second son, if such second son there should be. By the will money was left
to her--more than would be needed for any possible temporary emergency.
When she knew how it all was arranged, as far as she did know it, she was
aware that she was a rich woman. For so clever a woman she was infinitely
ignorant as to the possession and value of money and land and income,
though, perhaps, not more ignorant than are most young girls under twenty-
one. As for the Scotch property, she thought that it was her own forever,
because there could not now be a second son, and yet was not quite sure
whether it would be her own at all if she had no son. Concerning that sum
of money left to her, she did not know whether it was to come out of the
Scotch property or be given to her separately, and whether it was to come
annually or to come only once.
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