You remember the orchestrion?"
"I haven't been down at Windles since I was a kid."
"That's right. I forgot that. Well, my pater had an orchestrion put in
the drawing-room. One of these automatic things you switch on, you
know. Makes a devil of a row. Bennett can't stand it, and Mortimer
insists on playing it all day. Well, they hotted up a goodish bit over
that."
"Well, I don't see how all this affects you. If they want to scrap, why
not let them?"
"Yes, but, you see, the most frightful thing has happened. At least, it
hasn't happened yet, but it may any day. Bennett's talking about taking
legal advice to see if he can't induce Mortimer to cheese it by law as he
can't be stopped any other way. And the deuce of it is, your father's
Bennett's legal representative over in England, and he's sure to go
to him."
"Well, that'll do the pater a bit of good. Legal fees."
Eustace Hignett waved his arms despairingly at his cousin's obtuseness.
"But don't you see? If Bennett goes to your father about this binge,
your father will get onto the fact that Windles has been let, and he'll
nose about and make enquiries, and the first thing that'll happen will
be that mother will get to hear of it, and then where shall I be?"
Sam pondered.
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