"How much?"

"Oh," Hewson groaned. "If you must know--"

"I must! The worst!"

"It had fairly turned him out of house and home. His servants had all
left him, and he had been reduced to taking his meals at the inn. He
showed me a handful of letters from people whom he had asked to visit
him, withdrawing their acceptances, or making excuses for not accepting."

"Ah!" said Miss Hernshaw, with a deep, inward breath, as if this now were
indeed something like the punishment she had expected. "And will it--did
he think--did he say anything about the pecuniary effect--the--whether it
would hurt the property?"

"He seemed to think it would," answered Hewson, reluctantly, and he
added, unfortunately for his generous purpose, "I really can't enter upon
that part."

She arched her eyebrows in grieved surprise. "But that is the very part
that I want you to enter upon Mr. Hewson. You _must_ tell me, now! Did he
say that it had injured the property very much?"

"He did, but--"

"But what?"

"I think St. John is a man to put the worst face on that matter."