ined in the hall by sentinel Moss.

Lady Bassett came down to him. At the very sight of him she trembled,
and said, "Richard Bassett?"

"Yes," said Mr. Oldfield, "he is in the field again. He has been to the
Court of Chancery _ex parte,_ and obtained an injunction _ad interim_
to stay waste. Not another tree must be cut down on the estate for the
present."

"Thank Heaven it is no worse than that. Not another tree shall be
felled on the grounds."

"Of course not. But they will not stop there. If we do not move to
dissolve the injunction, I fear they will go on and ask the Court to
administer the estate, with a view to all interests concerned,
especially those of the heir at law and his son."

"What, while my husband lives?"

"If they can prove him dead in law."

"I don't understand you, Mr. Oldfield."

"They have got affidavits of two medical men that he is insane."

Lady Bassett uttered a faint scream, and put her hand to her heart.

"And, of course, they will use that extraordinary fall of timber as a
further proof, and also as a reason why the Court should interfere to
protect the heir at law. Their case is well got up and very strong,"
said Mr. Oldfield, regretfully.

"Well, but you are a lawyer, and you have always beaten them hitherto."

"I had law and fact on my side. It is not so now. To be frank, Lady
Bassett, I don't see what I can do but watch the case, on the chance of
some error or illegality. It is very hard to fight a case when you
cannot put your client forward--and I suppose that would not be safe.
How unfortunate that you have no children!"

"Children! How could they help us?"

"What a question! How could Richard Bassett move the Court if he was
not the heir at law?"

After a long conference Mr. Oldfield returned to town to see what he
could do in the way of procrastination, and Lady Bassett promised to
leave no stone unturned to cure Sir Charles in the meantime. Mr.
Oldfield was to write immediately if any fresh step was taken.

When Mr. Oldfield was gone, Lady Bassett pondered every word he had
said, and, mild as she was, her rage began to rise against her
husband's relentless enemy. Her wits worked, her eyes roved in that
peculiar half-savage way I have described. She became intolerably
restless; and any one acquainted with her sex might see that some
strange conflict was going on in her troubled mind.

Every now and then she would come and cling to her husband, and cry
over him