She gleaned what she wanted without much difficulty, making mental notes as follows:
"Two new scullery maids—village girls—doesn't seem much there. New third housemaid—head housemaid's niece. That sounds all right. Howelly seems to have bullied poor Lady Coote a good deal. She would."
"I never thought the day would come when I should see Chimneys inhabited by strangers, Miss Bundle."
"Oh! one must go with the times," said Bundle. "You'll be lucky, Howelly, if you never see it converted into desirable flats with use of superb pleasure grounds."
Mrs. Howell shivered all down her reactionary aristocratic spine.
"I've never seen Sir Oswald Coote," remarked Bundle.
"Sir Oswald is no doubt a very clever gentleman," said Mrs. Howell distantly.
Bundle gathered that Sir Oswald had not been liked by his staff.
"Of course, it was Mr. Bateman who saw to everything," continued the housekeeper. "A very efficient gentleman. A very efficient gentleman indeed, and one who knew the way things ought to be done."
Bundle led the talk on to the topic of Gerald Wade's death. Mrs. Howell was only too willing to talk about it, and was full of pitying ejaculations about the poor young gentleman, but Bundle gleaned nothing new. Presently she took leave of Mrs. Howell and came downstairs again, where she promptly rang for Tredwell.