en if Alan here were dead,
I would not marry that man, and perhaps you will make him understand
this," she added with emphasis. "Indeed I had sooner die myself. You
told us also that if I marry against your will, you can take away all
the property that my father left to me. Uncle, I shall not give you that
satisfaction. I shall wait until I am twenty-five and do what I please
with myself and my fortune. Lastly, you said that you forbade us to see
each other or to correspond. I answer that I shall both write to and see
Alan as often as I like. If you attempt to prevent me from doing so,
I shall go to the Court of Chancery, lay all the facts before it, as I
have been advised that I can do--not by Alan--please remember, _all_ the
facts, and ask for its protection and for a separate maintenance out of
my estate until I am twenty-five. I am sure that the Court would grant
me this and would declare that considering his distinguished family and
record Alan is a perfectly proper person to be my affianced husband. I
think that is all I have to say."

"All you have to say!" gasped Mr. Haswell, "all you have to say, you
impertinent and ungrateful minx!" Then he fell into a furious fit of
rage and in language that need not be repeated, poured a stream of
threats and abuse upon Alan and herself. Barbara waited until he ceased
from exhaustion.

"Uncle," she said, "you should remember that your heart is weak and
you must not overexcite yourself, also when you are calmer, that if you
speak to me like that again, I shall go to the Court at once, for I will
not be sworn at by you or by any other man. I apologize to you, Alan;
I am afraid I have brought you into strange company. Come, my dear,
we will go and order your dogcart," and putting her arm affectionately
through his, she went with him from the room.

"I wonder who put her up to all this?" gasped Haswell, as the door
closed behind them. "Some infernal lawyer, I'll be bound. Well, she has
got the whip hand of me, and I can't face an investigation in Chancery,
especially as the only thing against Vernon is that the value of his
land has fallen. But I swear that she shall never marry him while I
live," he ended in a kind of shout and the domed and painted ceiling
echoed back his words--"_while I live_" after which the room was silent,
save for the heavy thumping of his heart.

When Alan reached home that night after his ten-mile drive he sent
Jeekie to tell the housekeeper to