I just want to put this out there before we're too far beyond the section. Yates is an interesting (and entertaining) character, but I've been trying to understand something about him. Edmund disagrees with asking one of the neighbors to take the part of Anhalt because, he says, he doesn't want a stranger involved:

"This acting scheme gets worse and worse, you see. They have chosen almost as bad a play as they could, and now, to complete the business, are going to ask the help of a young man very slightly known to any of us." (Chapter 16)

Isn't Yates a stranger? Or is it different when he's part of the scheme? Or is this a poorly disguised excuse on Edmund's part?