Mr. Brown and Mrs. Brown held title as tenants in common to the family home. Mrs. Brown wanted a niece to inherit her share of the property when she died, but did not want to tell her husband. So she made out a proper deed conveying her interest to her niece, with her signature duly acknowledged, and gave it to a close friend who agreed to hand it over to the niece after Mrs. Brown's death. Mrs. Brown died, and the friend carried out the instructions. The deed was:______