“He had—he may have once or twice.”
It was always an aggravation that this man could never, it appeared, give a direct answer.
“What do you mean by ‘may have’? Has he or has he not?”
“He has, sir.”
“On what matters?”
“I don’t know, sir—of no importance—I really couldn’t tell.”
Mr. Tuke glanced up angrily.
“You part with every word as if it were a tooth. Now, mind,” he said sharply—“you’ll give him a wide berth for the future. I’ll not have anything concerning me discussed between you—concerning me, or my house, or whatsoever connected with the estate.”
Once again, as the man took the bucket from him, he had looked into his face and said:
“So your removal of the abominations belonging to your sister was an evasion, after all?”