Chapter 20 Chapter 19 In the Office

It seems to hinder, but it also seems to help. The next day I was confused and mentally exhausted, and when I came into the office, I heard the report. "Sir, there is a gentleman in your private office who has been waiting for some time, and with great impatience." I was tired and not in the mood to discuss business with new and old clients, so I made my way to my office at a leisurely pace.When I opened the door, I saw Mr. Claflin. I was so shocked that I couldn't speak for a while, but I bowed quietly to him.He approached me in the manner of a well-bred gentleman, and handed me his business card, with his full name written in dashing handwriting: "Henry Rich Claflin".After introducing himself, he apologized for coming uninvited, and begged to be forgiven for his unfamiliarity with New York.He then said that he was in a hurry, and having overheard my reputation as a lawyer and gentleman being praised by others, he had come instead of a friend.His friend has an unfortunate problem and needs the advice of a lawyer.Not only was it a matter of great importance, but it was a matter of particular embarrassment to him, since he knew nothing of American law or how it applied legally.

In doing so, he captured my attention and aroused my curiosity.He then asked if I could let him begin the details.I came back to my senses, suppressed my aversion to this person and my slight fear, and agreed with him to start the narrative.At this time, he took out a notebook from his pocket and began to read the text in it. "An Englishman came to America, met an American girl in an elegant hotel, and fell in love with her. After a few days, he hoped to marry her back home. He knew that his status was not low, and his property Quite a few, and a man of integrity, he proposed to her, and she accepted. But her family objected strongly to the matter, forcing him to repress his emotions, though the engagement remained in force. When nothing was settled Unfortunately, he had to go back to England in an urgent matter, but he was afraid that his beloved would change his mind if he left for a long time, so he wrote to this lady to inform the reality of the situation and proposed a secret marriage. She agreed to marry him immediately, But there are conditions. One of the conditions is that he must leave immediately after the wedding; the second is that the wedding must be made public to her. He is not very willing, but the situation is urgent. In order to have her, he has to He did so. He proceeded at once according to the plan. After meeting her at the vicarage twenty miles from her hotel, the two of them stood before the Methodist minister and performed their marriage ceremony. There were two witnesses, One was the minister's servant, called to witness, and the other was a female friend who came with the bride. However, no marriage certificate was issued after the wedding, and the bride was not yet twenty-one years old.

"Is this marriage lawful, please? If the object of my friend's good faith on that day should deny her her legal wife, would he be able to force her to perform her duties by such an informal ceremony? In short, Raymond Sir, is my friend the lawful husband of the girl?" While listening to his narration, I found myself feeling very different from what I had just met the narrator.I became so interested in what his "friend" was like, that I forgot for a moment that I had seen or heard of Henry Claflin before.Hearing him say that the place of the wedding was in New York State, I said the following to him as far as I could remember.

"I believe that under the laws of the United States, marriage in New York State is a civil contract, and requires no certificate, nor priests, ceremonies, or certificates, sometimes even witnesses, for a marriage contract to be established. In ancient times, marrying a wife and acquiring any kind The meaning of property is the same, and the essence has not changed even today. As long as the man and woman say to each other, "From now on, we are married together" or "From now on, you are my wife" or "My husband". Well, that may be the case in your case. All it takes is mutual consent. In fact, the contract of marriage is like an IOU or like a purchase of a trifle."

"Then your opinion is—" "According to what you say, your friend is indeed the legal husband of the heroine of the story. Provided, of course, that neither party has violated the law in order to endanger the legality of the marriage. As far as the young lady's age is concerned, all I can say is, Any girl over the age of fourteen may enter into a marriage contract." Mr. Claflin bowed, with a look of great satisfaction on his face. "I'm glad to hear that," he said. "My friend's happiness depends entirely on this marriage." He looked greatly relieved, which only deepened my curiosity.So I said, "I have expressed my opinion on the legality of marriage, but if anyone wants to back out, it is another matter to prove the marriage."

He was startled suddenly, looked at me questioningly, and then talked to himself. "That's right." "And let me ask you some questions. Did the lady marry by her real name?" "yes." "Where's that man?" "Yes, sir." "Did the lady receive the certificate?" "Have." "Is it signed by the pastor and witnesses?" He nodded in the affirmative. "Did she keep it?" "I can't tell, but I guess she should keep it." "Witness is—" "The man employed by the priest—"

"Can you find it?" "Can't find it." "Dead or missing?" "The pastor is dead and the witnesses are missing." "The pastor is dead?" "Died three months after the wedding." "When was the wedding?" "Last July." "The other witness is that female friend, where is she?" "It is possible to find her, but she is not reliable." "Has the gentleman himself no proof of marriage?" Mr. Claflin shook his head. "He couldn't even prove that he was in that town on the wedding day."

"Is the marriage certificate registered in that town?" I asked. "No, sir." "Why not?" "I don't know. All I know is that my friend looked it up and couldn't find any such papers." I leaned back slowly and looked at him. "Your friend must have been concerned about his situation, I have no doubt. If it is inferred from your words, this lady seems to have deliberately denied that such a ceremony took place. However, if he is willing to resort to legal action, the court Probably he'll win the case, but I'm not sure. He'll just tell the truth under oath, but if the woman contradicts his testimony, the jury will sympathize with the woman."

Mr. Claflin got up and looked at me seriously, and took a moment to speak.His tone of voice changed a bit, lacking the tact he had previously had.He asked me if I could put on paper what I had just said about the legality of this marriage.He said that this document would make his friend very satisfied, let him know that the case has indeed been submitted to the lawyer for evaluation, because he understands that the lawyer must first check the statute thoroughly, apply all the facts to the statute, and then carefully After deliberation and conclusion, lawyers who provide legal opinions in this way are worthy of respect.

His request seemed reasonable, so I complied without hesitation, and immediately wrote him my opinion.He took it over, read it carefully, and carefully copied the contents in the notebook.Then he turned to me, finally showing the intensity of emotion that he had suppressed until now. "Now, sir," he stood up and looked down at me, "I have only one request left. I hope you will also remember the advice you gave me. If one day you lead a beautiful lady to the altar, you Stop and ask yourself: 'How can I be sure that the hand I'm passionately clasping belongs to a free body? Can I be sure that she already belongs to something else?' Like this lady, who, in my opinion, according to my country's The law is indeed married."

"Mr Claflin!" He saluted respectfully and moved his hand to the doorknob. "Thank you for meeting me, Mr. Raymond, I'm leaving. I hope you don't need to look at that paper again when we meet next time." After saying that, he bowed and walked out of the room. It was the most thrilling shock I have ever experienced.I was numb all over for a while.I!I!Why would he drag me into this?Unless—and I don't want to speculate on that possibility—Eleanor married?with this person?No, no, absolutely impossible!I found myself running it over and over again in my head.In the end, trying to get rid of my self-torture, I grabbed my hat and rushed out into the street hoping to find him, and to wrest from him his explanation for my suspicious behaviour.Once on the sidewalk, however, I found he had long since disappeared.There are countless pedestrians coming and going on the street, all of whom have their own concerns and goals, bustling between me and him.I had to go back to the office, and the mystery in my heart was still unsolved. I probably never had such a long day, but it was over.At five o'clock I could go to the Hoffman's and check with Mr. Claflin.But I was taken aback when I found out he had walked away.It turned out that after he left my office, he went directly to Liverpool on a steam cruiser.Now that he is in the vast sea, there is no chance to meet him again.I couldn't accept this fact at first, but after talking with his coach driver, I believed it all.He took Claflin to my office before sending him on a steam cruise.My initial feeling was pity.I was face to face with this serious suspect, and I also heard him hint that he would not see me again for a while, and I was only concerned with my emotions, and finally let him escape like this.I'm really like a newbie.Next I felt compelled to inform Mr. Gritz that the man had left.But it was exactly six o'clock, and I had an appointment with Mr. Harwell, which I did not want to miss, so I sent a brief message to Mr. Gritz, promising to see him that evening.Then I turned and went home.Mr. Harwell was already there waiting for me.