He did absolutely nothing beyond collecting the rents.

He let the whole place go to rack and ruin.

The first day I arrived I sent him out of the house, with a talking to that he won't forget as long as he lives." "We never heard any complaints about him, Mr.Thorndyke, except that I think we did once hear from the Rector of the place that his conduct was not satisfactory.

I remember that we wrote to him about it, and he said that the Rector was a malignant fellow, on bad terms with all his parishioners." "If I had the scoundrel here," John Thorndyke said with indignation, "I would let him have a taste of the lash of my dog whip.

You should not have taken the fellow's word; you should have sent down someone to find out the true state of things.