The right of succession to Sandal, barring Harry
Sandal, is not vested in you. It is in Harry's son. Whoever his mother
may be, the little lad is heir of Sandal-Side; and I'll not be made a
thief in my last hours by you. That's a trick beyond your power. Now,
then, I'll waste no more words on you, good, bad, or indifferent."
He had, in fact, reached the limit of his powers, and Julius saw it; yet
he did not hesitate to press his right to Sandal's signature by every
argument he thought likely to avail. Sandal was as one that heard not,
and fortunately Mrs. Sandal's entrance put an end to the painful
interview.
This was a sorrow the squire had never contemplated, and it filled his
heart with anxious misery. He strove to keep calm, to husband his
strength, to devise some means of protecting his wife's rights. "I must
send for Lawyer Moser: if there is any way out of this wrong, he will
know the right way," he thought. But he had to rest a little ere he
could give the necessary prompt instructions. Towards noon he revived,
and asked eagerly for Stephen Latrigg. A messenger was at once sent to
Up-Hill. He found Stephen in the barn, where the men were making the
flails beat with a rhythm and regularity as exhilarating as music.
Stephen left them at once; but, when he told Ducie what word had been
brought him, he was startled at her look and manner.
"I have been looking for this news all day: I fear me, Steve, that the
squire has come to 'the passing.
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