George’s will awaiting its reading

George’s will awaiting its reading is both a financial bequest and a plan for the future of George Glenn’s sheep: it leaves them his remaining fortune so they can go to Europe, sets enforceable conditions for their care, and requires an authorized shepherd to represent them. Its reading redirects a village’s eager speculation about money toward an unusual question of responsibility—and toward the flock’s own choice of whom to follow.

Anticipation and the Promise of the Will

Before the will is opened, Beth tells Rebecca that a lawyer is expected from town on Sunday and that the reading will take place outdoors. She says George had instructed the lawyer about what he wanted. Although most villagers are waiting eagerly to learn about the money, Beth’s account complicates the assumption that George was wealthy: he had little land, a few sheep, a small house, and little business, yet sometimes possessed very expensive things, including a watch no one in Glennkill could have afforded. She remembers that he wore it while sowing radishes, an incongruity that hints at resources or dealings beyond the modest life people saw.

The prospect of the reading shapes events before Sunday. After Gabriel has cut grass for his sheep and fed them, Eddie asks whether he is simply waiting for the will to be opened. Gabriel nods; Eddie then takes his bag and walks toward the village. The exchange places the will among the immediate stakes surrounding the flock, even before its terms are known.

The Bequest to the Flock

At the reading, the lawyer first announces that George’s remaining fortune amounts to a sum unfamiliar to the sheep. After a deliberate pause, he reads the central provision: George leaves the rest of his fortune to his sheep so they can go to Europe, as he had promised them. The bequest makes the sheep, rather than a human heir, the stated beneficiaries of the remaining estate. The sum itself is not specified in the account, but the villagers’ silence and attention register the significance of the announcement.

Kate responds with hysterical laughter, while Ham blinks hard. Harry the Sinner asks whether the provision is a joke. The lawyer answers that it is legal and explains that he will administer the money. The will therefore does more than express George’s wish: it gives that wish a formal structure, with a human administrator responsible for carrying it out.

Conditions of Care

The lawyer distributes printed details of the arrangement. Among the stated requirements, the sheep must have stories read aloud to them for at least half an hour each day; none may be sold or slaughtered; and breeding must give priority to a dense fleece. Eddie points out that these terms are not economically minded. The lawyer confirms that economic return is not the point: the representative’s salary is listed on the sheet, and it will decrease by a specified amount each time one of the sheep dies, although he considers the salary substantial.

The lawyer also says that a third party will check whether the conditions are met, and identifies himself in that role. The provisions thus pair an unusual testamentary gift with continuing oversight. The flock is to be cared for under explicit terms, rather than treated simply as a source of saleable animals or income.

The Representative and the Flock’s Response

The will requires an authorized representative to accompany the sheep to Europe as their shepherd, with rights and duties set out in the document. The appointment has not yet been made. The lawyer says he is to use his own judgment, preferably on the spot, and asks whether anyone wants the position. The printed conditions prompt interest among the villagers, but they look to Gabriel, who is standing beside the lawyer, and remain silent.

When the lawyer asks whether no one else wants the job, Rebecca offers to do it. The lawyer responds approvingly. The sheep are relieved: they would not have wanted Gabriel to take them to Europe. Gabriel murmurs in Gaelic, but Othello steps forward, looks briefly at him, and trots over to Rebecca. The rest of the flock gathers around her, and Maude calls her name. The written arrangement leaves the appointment to the lawyer’s judgment, while this gathering makes the flock’s preference unmistakable within the scene.

Significance

The will converts George’s promise into money, procedures, and obligations: the sheep are beneficiaries, the lawyer administers and monitors the arrangement, and a representative must shepherd them. Its terms also set limits on what may be done to them, including a ban on sale and slaughter. Yet the closing choice is not settled by the document alone. As the sheep gather around Rebecca, the will’s human process of appointment meets the flock’s visible act of allegiance, linking legal protection to the animals’ own capacity to respond.