Chapter 3

she did not want to go; she would rather lie down in bed and speculate on the letter she had received by that morning's post . It was from a firm of solicitors, Messrs. Tredego & Jona's in Sevila Inn Fields, asking her to call on them at twelve noon following the next morning. She could not think what they wanted to see her about, for she had never heard of them ; she had had no dealings with solicitors during her twenty years of life.

She had shown the letter to her aunt before the latter left the house . ' Such nonsense ! ' she exclaimed . ' Do you no work to do that you can afford to waste time running about after them ? It can be nothing of importance they want to talk to you about . Stanley will be back the day after tomorrow and he can see them for you . ' Stanley was Aunt Lilian 's son , a spotty youth of amorous propensities , and Lucy had had a hard time keeping him in his place ...

 Well , she supposed she had better go down and see what was happening below - stairs ; if anything was stolen she would be held responsible . Aunt Lillian would be furious ; until Lucy was over sixteen Aunt Lilian had been in the habit of impressing her displeasure on her niece in a humiliating and painful manner . Even now she might consider twenty not too old for correction .

Crash! The sound came from the dining - room at the front of the house ; it sounded as if a cup or glass had been smashed ; if it was a burglar he was extremely careless ; perhaps he thought he was alone in the house . With her heart beating unsteadily Lucy  slipped out of bed , put on her worn red flannel dressing - gown , cut down from one of Aunt Lillian and thrust her feet into shabby bedroom slippers . She knew that Stanley had left a small automatic in the drawer of his dressing - table; there had been a row about it.