part
of the husband. Women are so weak and helpless in these matters. And in
the event of your granddaughter dying without children, wouldn't you
rather let the estate go to your son?"

"To him!" exclaimed Jacob Nowell. "I have sworn that I would not leave
him sixpence."

"That's a kind of oath which no man ever considers himself bound to
keep," said the lawyer in his most insinuating tone. "Remember, it's only
a remote contingency. The chances are that your granddaughter will have a
family to inherit this property, and that she will survive her father.
And then, if we give her power to make a will, of course it's pretty
certain that she'll leave everything to this husband of hers. But I don't
think we ought to do that, Mr. Nowell. I think it would be a far wiser
arrangement to give this young lady only a life interest in the real
estate. That makes the husband a loser by her death, instead of a
possible gainer to a large amount. And I consider that your son's name
has a right to come in here."

"I cannot acknowledge that he has any such right. His extravagance almost
ruined me when he was a young man; and his ingratitude would have broken
my heart, if I had been weak enough to suffer myself to be crushed by
it."

"Time works changes amongst the worst of us, Mr. Nowell, I daresay your
son has improved his habits in all these years and is heartily sorry for
the errors of his youth."

"Have you seen him, Medler?" the old man asked quickly.

"Seen your son lately? No; indeed, my dear sir, I had no notion that he
was in England."

The fact is, that Percival Nowell had called upon Mr. Medler more than
once since his arrival in London; and had discussed with that gentleman
the chances of his father's having made, or not made, a will, and the
possibility of the old man's being so far reconciled to him as to make a
will in his favour. Percival Nowell had gone farther than this, and had
promised the attorney a handsome percentage upon anything that his father
might be induced to leave him by Mr. Medler's influence.

The discussion lasted for a long time; Mr. Medler pushing on, stage by
stage, in the favour of his secret client, anxious to see whether Jacob
Nowell might not be persuaded to allow his son's name to take the place
of his granddaughter, whom he had never seen, and who was really no more
than a stranger to him, the attorney took care to remind him. But on this
point the old man was immovable. He would leave