"Yes, he is. These things are awful in a family."
"Awful," echoed Mrs. Lowell.
The next morning, after breakfast, she went to Diana's room and knocked. The girl welcomed her in. She was shaking a blanket.
"I do enjoy making my bed so much," she said. "I learned how at school."
"Then let me watch you do it while I talk to you." The visitor sat down, and Diana went on in the most earnest manner to tuck in sheets and pat and smooth pillows as if her life depended on the squareness of corners.
"I had a talk with Mr. Gayne last night."
"I observed you through the window. I felt a certainty that you were not happy."
"It was an ordeal, but I verified my suspicions—my worst suspicions. The man is planning to get his nephew out of the way, to have him shut up."
Diana left the flap of a pillow-case to its fate and faced her caller.