"I think, Mrs. Conway, that things are going even better than we hoped. The foreman said that from what little talk he had with the servants, he thought they had all been attached to Mr. Penfold, and that his sisters were by no means popular among them. He said very often one or other of them would come into the room where they were working and make suggestions, and hunt about themselves to see if they could find anything. But the best part of it is that one of the carpenters, a steady fellow of twenty-five, took up, as he calls it, with the upper housemaid, and he believes there is a talk about their being married some day. If this is so it would be the very thing for you. You could help him to get married, and the girl could help you to get her place."
"The very thing," Mrs. Conway said. "Nothing could have turned out better."
In a few minutes the young carpenter arrived. He was a pleasant-looking young fellow, and Mrs. Conway was not surprised at the impression he had made upon the housemaid at the Hall.
"Sit down, Johnson," Mr. Tallboys began. "You know what I asked you to come here for?"
"Mr. Peters told me that it was something to do with that job we had at the Miss Penfolds', sir."
"Yes, that is it, Johnson. You know we were looking for a missing will there?"
"Yes, sir; so I understood."
"Now, what we wanted to ask you specially, Johnson, was whether you can tell us what the servants at the Hall thought about it?"
The young carpenter turned rather red in the face, and twisted his cap about in his fingers.
"Well, sir, I don't know that I can say much about that. I don't think most of them was overfond of the Miss Penfolds, and wouldn't have been sorry if the will had been found that would have given them another master or mistress."