If she _hasn't_ written to them, or let them have news of any kind, her father oughtn't to be kept in ignorance for another hour.' 'He ought to have been told before this,' replied Sidney ill a thick under-voice.

'He ought to have been told on Saturday.

And the blame'll be mine.' It is an experience familiar to impulsive and self-confident men that a moment's crisis may render scarcely intelligible a mode of thought or course of action which till then one had deemed perfectly rational.
Sidney, hopeless in spite of the pretences he made, stood aghast at the responsibility he had taken upon himself.

It was so obvious to him now that he ought to have communicated to John Hewett without loss of time the news which Mrs.Hewett brought on Saturday morning.

But could he be sure that John was still in ignorance of Clara's movements?
Was it not all but certain that Mrs.Hewett must have broken the news before this?
If not, there lay before him a terrible duty.
The two went forth together, and another visit was paid to the lodging-house.