"
"My dear fellow, it is such a subject for a lady to meddle with."
"It has no scruple in meddling with ladies; so ladies ought to have
none in meddling with it. You must do it as delicately as you will:
but done it must be: it is our only chance. Tell her of Tardrew's
obstinacy, or Scoutbush will go by his opinion; and tell her to keep
the secret from her sister."
Frank did it, and well. Valencia was horror-struck, and wrote.
Scoutbush was away at sea, nobody knew where; and a full fortnight
elapsed before an answer came.
"My dear, you are quite mistaken if you think I can do anything.
Nine-tenths of the houses in Aberalva are not in my hands; but
copyholds and long leases, over which I have no power. If the people
will complain to me of any given nuisance, I'll right it if I can; and
if the doctor wants money, and sees any ways of laying it out well, he
shall have what he wants, though I am very high in Queer Street just
now, ma'am, having paid your bills before I left town, like a good
brother: but I tell you again, I have no more power than you have,
except over a few cottages, and Tardrew assured me, three weeks ago,
that they were as comfortable as they ever had been."
So Tardrew had forestalled Thurnall in writing to the Viscount. Well,
there was one more chance to be tried.
Tom gave his lecture in the school-room. He showed them magnified
abominations enough to frighten all the children into fits, and
dilated on horrors enough to spoil all appetites: he proved to them
that, though they had the finest water in the world all over the
town, they had contrived to poison almost every drop of it; he waxed
eloquent, witty, sarcastic; and the net result was a general grumble.
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