Augusta saw she had made a mistake. Hugh would be even more dangerous if he were unemployed, resentful and knocking around with nothing to do. David Middleton had not yet approached him--possibly Middleton had not yet learned that Hugh had been at the swimming hole on the fateful day--but sooner or later he would. She became flustered, wishing she had thought more before insisting Hugh should be dismissed. She felt exasperated with herself.
Could she to make Joseph change his mind back again?
She had to try. "Perhaps we're being harsh," she said.
He raised his eyebrows, surprised at this sudden display of mercy.
Augusta went on: "Well, you keep saying that he has a great deal of potential as a banker. Perhaps it's unwise to throw that away."
Joseph became annoyed. "Augusta, do make up your mind what you want!"
She sat down on a low chair near his desk. She let her nightdress ride up and stretched out her legs. She still had good legs. He looked at them and his expression softened.
While he was distracted she racked her brains. Suddenly she was inspired. "Send him abroad," she said.
"Eh?"
The more she thought of the idea, the better she liked it. He would be out of reach of David Middleton, but still within her sphere of influence. "The Far East, or South America," she went on, warming to her theme. "Someplace where his bad behavior will not reflect directly on my house."
Joseph forgot his irritation with her. "It's not a bad idea," he said reflectively. "There's an opening in the United States. The old boy who runs our Boston office needs an assistant."
America would be perfect, Augusta thought. She was pleased with her own brilliance.
But at the moment Joseph was only toying with the idea. She wanted him to commit himself to it. "Let Hugh go as soon as possible," she said. "I don't want him in the house another day."
"He can book his passage in the morning," Joseph said. "After that there is no reason for him to stay in London. He can go down to Folkestone to say good-bye to his mother, and stay there until his ship sails."
