Page:Gissing - The Nether World, vol. I, 1889.djvu/68

 much heed paid to fathers now-a-days. What have you got to say about Clara? If you've changed your mind about her goin' there, just tell me why."

Sidney could not bring himself to speak at once, but an appealing look from Mrs. Hewett decided him.

"Look here, Mr. Hewett," he began, with blunt earnestness. "If any harm came to Clara, I should feel it every bit as much as you, and that you ought to know by this time. All the same, what I've got to say is this: Let her go to Mrs. Tubbs for a month's trial. If you persist in refusing her, mark my words, you'll be sorry. I've thought it all over, and I know what I'm talking about. The girl can't put up with the workroom any longer. It's ruining her health, for one thing, anybody can see that, and it's making her so discontented, she'll soon get reckless. I understand your feeling well enough, but I understand her as well; at all events, I believe I do. She wants a change; she's getting tired of her very life."