Then she knew that it was Simon who was putting her uncle against the dog, so that he cursed Sirius if he got in his way, remarking disagreeably, “that damned dog is eating us out of house and home.”
This of course was a spiteful reference to the fact that Diona had no money of her own, and in fact, as her uncle never ceased to remind her, he had paid her father’s debts after her mother’s death.
Before that, Mrs. Grantley had struggled to pay off month by month anything her husband had owed, so there had not been a very large accumulation of bills.
Nevertheless, they were enough to make Sir Hereward very unpleasant about them.
He had also, Diona thought, been extremely mean about the servants her father and mother had employed, three of whom had to be pensioned off, while an elderly co
