He tries to live as usual; and his
temper is appalling. But Dixon sees a great change."
"Well, it'll scarcely be possible to say that his decease 'cast a gloom
over the countryside.' Will it?" laughed Tatham.
"What'll Faversham do? That's what I keep asking myself."
"Do? Why, go off with the shekels, and be damned to us! I understand that
just at present he's paying rather high for them, which is some
satisfaction. That creature Nash told one of our men the other day that
Melrose now treats him like dirt, and finds his chief amusement in
stopping anything he wants to do."
"Then he'd better look sharp after the will," said Undershaw, with a
smile. "Melrose is game for any number of tricks yet. But I don't judge
Faversham quite as you do. I believe he has all sorts of grand ideas in
his head about what he'll do when he comes in."
"I daresay! You need 'em when you begin with taking soiled money. Mrs.
Melrose got the quarterly payment of her allowance yesterday, from an
Italian bank--twenty-five pounds minus ten pounds, which seems to be
mortgaged in some way. Melrose's solicitors gracefully let her know
that the allowance was raised by twenty pounds! On fifteen pounds
therefore she and the girl are expected to exist for the quarter--_and_
support the old father. And yesterday just after my mother had shown me
the check, I saw Faversham in Pengarth, driving a Rolls-Royce car,
brand-new, with a dark fellow beside him whom I know quite well as a
Bond Street dealer.
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