"She told me," Agatha admitted. "Unless you will look at the thing as I do, I could almost wish she hadn't. The thought of that woman shut up in the woods all winter only to find that what she must have to bear has all been thrown away troubles me. Wyllard promised to keep those men on, didn't he?"
"There was no regular engagement so far as I can make out."
"Still, Moran seems to have understood that he was to be kept on."
"Yes," admitted Hawtrey, "he evidently does. If the market had gone with us I'd have fallen in with his views. As it hasn't, every man's wages count."
Agatha was conscious of a little thrill of repugnance. Of late Gregory's ideas had rather frequently jarred on hers.
"Does that release you?"
Hawtrey did not answer this.
"I'll keep those men on if you want me to," he said.
Agatha winced at this. She had discovered that she must not look for too much from Gregory, but to realise that he had practically no sense of moral obligation, and could only be influenced to do justice by the expectation of obtaining her favour positively hurt her.
"I want them kept on, but I don't want you to do it for that reason," she said. "Can't you grasp the distinction, Gregory?"