Mrs. Tappitt remained where she was for about half an hour and then descended among her daughters. "Isn't papa going to dine at home?" said Augusta. "No, my dear; your papa is going to dine with some friends of Mr. Hart's, the candidate who was beaten." "And has he settled anything about the brewery?" Cherry asked. "No; not as yet. Your papa is very much troubled about it, and I fear he is not very well. I suppose he must go to this electioneering dinner. When gentlemen take up that sort of thing, they must go on with it. And as they wish your father to preside over the petition, I suppose he he can't very well help himself." "Is papa going to preside over the petition?" asked Augusta. "Yes, my dear." "I hope it won't cost him anything," said Martha. "People say that those petitions do cost a great deal of money." "It's a very anxious time for me, girls; of course, you must all of you see that. I'm sure when we had our party I didn't think things were going to be as anxious as this, or I wouldn't have had a penny spent in such a way as that. If your papa could bring himself to give up the brewery, everything would be well." "I do so wish he would," said Cherry, "and let us all go and live at Torquay. I do so hate this nasty dirty old place." "I shall never live in a house I like so well," said Martha. "The house is well enough, my dears, and so is the brewery, but it can't be expected that your father should go on working for ever as he does at present. It's too much for his strength;--a great deal too much. I can see it, though I don't suppose any one else can. No one knows, only me, what your father has gone through in that brewery." "But why doesn't he take Mr. Rowan's offer?" said Cherry. "Everybody seems to say now that Rowan is ever so rich," said Augusta. "I suppose papa doesn't like the feeling of being turned out," said Martha. "He wouldn't be turned out, my dear; not the least in the world," said Mrs. Tappitt. "I don't choose to interfere much myself because, perhaps, I don't understand it; but certainly I should like your papa to retire. I have told him so; but gentlemen sometimes don't like to be told of things."