That's not very Austen of you, but I agree. If it helps,,, he failed to really punish his nephew and niece. Henry and Eleanor both got to live out their own personal Happily Ever After -- romantically and professionally -- while Uncle Errol had to deal with the shadowy gossip that he had somehow deeply offended the generous and well respected Allen Foundation. Nothing was ever stated unequivocally so that he could refute it or offer his own version of events, and the board thought it was the higher ground to ignore unsubstantiated gossip, but the long and the short of it was that the museum's reputation diminished. The wealthiest donors who might know Mrs. Allen turned away first, then less wealthy donors began to follow suit as the rumors took on a life of their own. Less than two years after the board summarily fired Henry Tilney, they asked Errol Tilney to tender his resignation or be forced out. He ranted and raved behind closed doors but the people he most wanted to yell at had been beyond his influence for a while now and were no longer taking his calls. I'm the end, he put on a brave face and bowed to the board's decision. The museum was his darling, after all, and if it would be better off without him, then he would give it up.
