Chapter 24: Mr. Hartwell Takes Action, Belatedly

The letter lay open on Mr. Hartwell's desk for approximately twenty minutes before he folded it, set it to one side, and reached for his hat.

This was, by any measure, an unusual sequence of events. Mr. Hartwell's habitual response to domestic intelligence that required action was to consider it from several angles, apply to it the full resources of a classical education, and arrive, by gradual scholarly stages, at the conclusion that someone else was better placed to act. This approach had served him adequately for the better part of two decades and had produced, he privately acknowledged, daughters who were obliged to be considerably more capable than they ought to have needed to be.

He picked up the letter again. Read the third sentence. Replaced it on the desk.