“Why-a! Hallam! Come in, squire; come in, and welcome. Sit thee down, old friend. I’m fain and glad to see thee. What cheer? And whativer brings thee to Bradford so early?”
“I’m in real trouble, Whaley.”
“About some wedding, I’ll be bound.”
“No; neither love nor women folk hev owt to do wi’ it. Antony Hallam wants me to break t’ entail and give him L50,000.”
“Save us a’! Is t’ lad gone by his senses?”
Then the squire repeated, as nearly as possible, all that Antony had said to him; after which both men sat quite still; the lawyer thinking, the squire watching the lawyer.
“I’ll tell thee what, Hallam, thou hed better give him what he asks. If thou doesn’t, he’ll get Hallam into bad hands. He has thought o’ them, or he would nivver hev spoke o’ them; and he’ll go to them, rather than not hev his own way. Even if he didn’t, just as soon as he was squire, he’d manage it. The Norfolk Hallams, who are next to him, are a poor shiftless crowd, that he’d buy for a song. Now dost thou want to keep Hallam i’ thy own flesh and blood? If ta does, I’ll tell thee what to do.”
“That is the dearest, strongest wish I hev; and thou knows it, Whaley.”
“Then go thy ways home and tell Antony Hallam he can hev L50,000, if he gives up to thee every possible claim on Hallam, and every possible assistance in putting it free in thy hands to sell, or to leave as thou wishes.”
“He’ll do that fast enough.”