‘Well, I shall see what can be done.’
‘She thinks us as bad as old Grice,’ said Susan, as they saw her walking away in a determined manner.
The next thing that was heard was the Admiral coming in from the servants’ hall, whither he had been summoned by ‘Please, sir, James Hodd wishes to speak to you.’
‘What is this friend of yours about, Bessie?’
‘What friend, papa?’
‘Why, this Miss Arthur—what d’ye call her?’ said the Admiral (who on the whole was much more attracted by her than were his daughters). ‘Here’s a deputation from her tenant, James Hodd, with “Please, sir, I wants to know if ’tis allowed to turn folks out of their houses as they’ve paid rent for reg’lar with a week’s notice, when they pays by the year.”’
‘You don’t mean it!’ exclaimed Mrs. Merrifield and Susan together.
‘Poor old Mrs. West,’ said the mother.
‘And all the Tibbinses!’ exclaimed Susan. ‘She can’t do it, can she, papa?’
‘Certainly not, without the proper notice, and so I told James, and that the notice she had sent down to him was so much waste-paper.’