The Lieutenant had in the meantime shown his despatch to Lady Isabelle, whose face at once assumed an expression very much in contrast to that of her liege lord's; her brows contracted in a frown, and tears sprang to her eyes. "Oh, Jack!" she cried. "You won't leave me now-- I can't spare you. Your poor uncle Benjamin!" "But you don't understand!" he cried. "You don't see what it means! The Steward writes that I'll inherit his property, and that I should come and protect my interests." "But he's not dead yet--only very ill," she argued, seeing the possibilities ahead--yet hoping against hope to win her husband from his better judgment. "It's the same thing--they wouldn't have telegraphed for me if it wasn't the end." "But it's so far off--nearly to the Scottish border." "That's all the more reason for hurrying. I must take the first train for London." "And leave me!" "My darling, you must be brave, you must be sensible. If I inherit my uncle's property, I shall be a rich man, and your mother's scruples will be removed. It's vital that I should lose no chances--it means everything to us." "But is there any danger of your doing so--doesn't the telegram expressly state that he means to make you his heir?" "Yes, yes, but there are other relatives as near as I. They'll all be there, and if they suspect I'm chosen, will try and get him, at the last, to turn against me." "But why should you be chosen?" "Pure cussedness, I think, coupled with the fact that I've never troubled myself to be even civil to him. His other relatives have spent their time in fawning about him, and he has seen through it, and led them a lively dance in consequence. He lived in a beastly old hole of a place--dull as the water in his own moat. I was sent there as a boy, and when he tried to cane me for stealing his fruit, I pelted him with apples. Since I've been old enough to consult my own inclinations, I have entirely ignored him. I never supposed he'd leave me a penny, and I wouldn't have let him lead me a dog's life for it, if I had. Now that he has done so to spite the rest, I shall protect my own interests, never fear." "But you'll tell mamma before you go?" "Most certainly not," replied the Lieutenant, glad of any valid excuse for putting off what promised to be a rather trying interview. "I should have to go at once in any event, and I certainly couldn't leave you to face your mother's wrath alone; besides, now I come to think of it, your late father was one of uncle's pet detestations, politically, and if a rumour of my secret marriage were to reach him before the end, it would be all up with my prospects, and you can easily see what splendid capital it would be for his precious relatives." "But mamma might be trusted?" queried Lady Isabelle, feeling that she was venturing on untenable ground.