There had been exhaustive quiet discussion of the
subject each night for weeks, even before Robert Gareth-Lawless'
illness. The smart young footman Edward who had means of gaining
practical information had constituted himself a sort of private
detective. He had in time learned all that was to be learned.
This, it had made itself clear to him on investigation, was not
one of those cases when to wait for evolutionary family events
might be the part of discretion. There were no prospects ahead--none
at all. Matters would only get worse and the whole thing would end
in everybody not only losing their unpaid back wages but having to
walk out into the street through the door of a disgraced household
whose owners would be turned out into the street also when their
belongings were sold over their heads. Better get out before
everything went to pieces and there were unpleasantnesses. There
would be unpleasantnesses because there was no denying that the
trades-people had been played tricks with. Mrs. Gareth-Lawless
was only one of a lot of pretty daughters whose father was a poor
country doctor in Jersey. He had had "a stroke" himself and his
widow would have nothing to live on when he died. That was what
Mrs. Lawless had to look to. As to Lord Lawdor Edward had learned
from those who DID know that he had never approved of his nephew
and that he'd said he was a fool for marrying and had absolutely
refused to have anything to do with him.
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