232 The Life of Fred Archer 
Archer, her heirs, executors, and assigns absolutely. And 
hereby revoking all former and other wills heretofore made 
by me, I declare this to be my last will and testament. In 
witness hereof I have hereunto set my hand this 14th day of 
November, 1884. 
" Signed by the said F. J. Archer, and for his last will and 
testament, in the presence of us both present at the same time, 
who in his presence and in the presence of each other have 
hereunto subscribed our names as witnesses. 
" F. J. Archer. 
" Charles H. Jessop, of Cheltenham, 
" Solicitor. 
"Wm. Jewell, his clerk." 
Relating the incident afterwards, Mr. Jessop said : "So 
I drew it up very hurriedly. I did the best I could for Httle 
Nellie Archer, and for the family generally, and he left it very 
much to me to settle matters. 
" I daresay some solicitors in my place would have suggested 
putting themselves down for £5,000 or so, but that was never my 
way. I suppose, though, I ought to have had a legacy ; at 
any rate, more than some of the people who did. Still, I 
made a very good thing out of the estate while it lasted. 
Naturally I should have drawn up the will better if I had had 
a little more time to think things over, and there were one or 
two little things I forgot. 
" I think Fred would have done anything I liked, and 
left money to anyone I liked. I told him it was done in too great 
a hurry to be done properly, and Fred promised to come in 
again when he came back from America and have it all straight- 
ened up. But he never did. I told Fred he ought to appoint 
proper guardians for NelUe, and he did write (with infinite 
labour) a bit of paper saying that he wished the Dawsons to 
have charge of the child. On the strength of that I handed 
over Nellie to her Dawson grandparents. That bit of paper 
