De vloek van het testament

Summary

A cabinet maker finds a document written in Latin in an old desk and, being unable to decipher it, he secures a translation from his solicitor. The latter's wife is an extravagant woman, whose cupidity is aroused by the description in the document of the location of the hidden wealth. She declares her intention of forestalling the humble cabinet maker. As her husband is averse to such a step, she goes alone and arrives at the castle ruins in time to see the cottager unearth the jewels. She grapples with him. Her husband has followed her and, rushing to the rescue of his wife, he fells the other man to the ground. When the cabinet maker recovers, the jewels have gone, while his memory is partially destroyed. Time passes, and in a distant town the cabinet maker is called in to a large mansion to mend a broken lock. In the cupboard he discovers the vase which contained the jewels. Feverishly he searches for and finds the document. At this moment the solicitor and his wife enter, the police are called, and the cabinet maker is hurried off to a criminal asylum. With the aid of his wife, the poor man escapes and makes plans to regain the treasure. The thieves take fright, and seek to escape to America, but the boat on which they travel catches fire. On a raft in mid-ocean the solicitor confesses to his crime. He and his wife drown. Thereafter the treasure is restored to its rightful owner, the cabinet maker.