Tubbs says she believes it's him has tempted her away.'
She spoke the last sentences in a low voice, painfully watching
their effect.
'And why hasn't Mrs. Tubbs spoken about this before?' Sidney asked,
also in a subdued voice, but without other show of agitation.
'That's just what, I said to her myself. The girl was in her charge,
an' it was her duty to let us know if things went wrong. But how am
I to tell her father? I dursn't do it, Sidney; for my life, I
dursn't! I'd go an' see her where she's lodging--see, I've got the
address wrote down here--but I should do more harm than good;
she'd never pay any heed to me at the best of times, an' it isn't
likely she would now.'
'Look here if she's made no attempt to hide away, you may be quite
sure there's no truth in what Mrs. Tubbs says. They've quarrelled,
and of course the woman makes Clara as black as she can. Tell her
father everything as soon as he comes home; you've no choice.'
Mrs. Hewett averted her face in profound dejection. Sidney learnt at
length what her desire had been in coming to him; she hoped he would
see Clara and persuade her to return home.
'I dursn't tell her' father,' she kept repeating.
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